The Akatsuki's Daughter
by icequeenperkey
Summary: Sasori killed her aunt,and took her to live with the Akatsuki. He claims her as his daughter,and she grows up at Akatsuki HQ. She is raised by some of the most feared rogue ninjas in the world, so what does she do when she meets up with the Naruto's gang?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Naruto. obviously. I know that this story still has some grammatical errors, but the format is different.

I don't remember my parents.

Sometimes I think that I get a bit of memory, but then its gone. Like a tendril of smoke that was blown away by a strong wind.

Of course I was only two years old when they died, and you really don't remember much when you're that little. I don't exactly know how my parents died. No one would ever say. Whenever I would try to mention it, my family would laugh shakily, and change the subject.

After my parents funeral my family decided that it would be best if my fathers brother, and his wife took me away to their home.

They had two children, and it was thought that I would have some playmates. So I went to a medium sized village that was nothing like the small country home I had lived in for the whole of my short life, and after arriving, I met my cousins. A girl about five years older than me, and a little boy still little enough to be carried by the babysitter (He cried when he was put down, so she was forced to always carry him.).

To an average person just walking by this would look like a normal family home, at least that's what I thought as I stood on the front porch, looking inside at my new home. What I didn't realize was that my life would change again, and this time I had no one to turn to.

About four months after my arrival my uncle died of a rare sickness that only affected about one out of every hundred people.

After his death my aunt became bitter. She would blame us children for something that had gone wrong, especially me. Since I wasn't from her own flesh, and blood, she had absolutely no issue with hitting and yelling at me. If I didn't work hard, or if my work hadn't satisfied her (Which was more often then not.) I would be beaten and then sent to my room without food.

If it hadn't been for my aunt's daughter, who would sneak me food when I was locked in my room, I'm convinced that I would have starved.

After my first experience of going hungry in my room, I made sure that I didn't get locked in very often, but when I did was glad that someone in that house had compassion for a pathetic little girl.

The son was still to young to understand what was going on. I think the only thing that he DID understand was that his mother wouldn't hold him anymore. His sister, was the only one that ever picked him up, and when she did it was hard for her to put him down again. He still cried when he was set down, and his sobs just made his mother angrier.

And we all did what we could to avoid the she-devil, that was always waiting for one of us to mess up.

A year-and-a-half passed with us living in this hell, when the village was warned about an attack that was coming our way. My aunt, out of a rare show of concern, sent my cousins to live with her sister in the country. I, on the other hand was made to stay in the village. My aunt was not going to stop my torture that easily.

.::-::.

One night when I fell exhausted into bed I heard an explosion, and a scream outside my window. A moment later an eerie silence fell over the village. I laid there quietly, until I heard a noise at my door. I froze, knowing who it was. I could hear my aunt mumbling outside, trying to get the door open.

The portal finally swung open, and she stumbled into my room. Even with her being so far away from me, I could smell her favorite alcohol on her breath. It was like she had drenched her clothes in it.

When she took a step I saw something glittering in her hand, and I let my eyes wander down to the shinning object. My eyes widened as I saw one of my uncles daggers held tightly in her grip. She started coming closer to me with staggering steps.

"You little monster." Her voice was slurred. "You bring death wherever you go. First your parents, then my husband, and now you dare to bring it here to consume me. I, who clothed, and took care of you. I wont let you have me that easily, I'll kill you first. That way you wont be able to curse any one else!"

She lunged unsteadily at me. I dodged, and ran out my bedroom door, towards the stairs.

I didn't know how horrible the outside would be after that explosion, but at the moment I thought that it would be better then what was waiting for me inside the house.

As I neared the stairs I looked over my shoulder, seeing how close my aunt was to catching me, I saw nothing. As I looked forward again, I ran into someone's legs. I raised my head, afraid that my aunt had somehow reached the stairs before me.

I stared into the eyes of a man, that I had never seen before. He had no expression on his face as he looked at me.

I suddenly heard the faltering footsteps coming from behind me. I tried to sidestep the stranger, but he grabbed me around my waist and threw me into his arms. His skin didn't give like a normal persons, it felt like I was being held by a wooden statue.

He was staring at my aunt as she stumbled into view, panting. She hesitated when she locked eyes with him, and without waiting for her to speak, the stranger turned and started walking, while still holding me, towards the door. Over his shoulder, I saw my aunt lunge at him.

I tried to warn him, but before I could even open my mouth, a weapon type thing had pierced her through the heart, and she fell to the ground.

I buried my head into the mans shoulder, not wanting to see the blood that pooled around my aunt, or the destruction of the village. I knew, even without looking that a lot of people were dead. I could smell the blood around me, and hear the pitiful moans of the injured. The rancid smell of the smoke that was burning the houses and shops down burnt my nose.

I could hear the explosions in the distance that had caused the fire, and I cringed into my strange saviours chest. After a moment it became quiet, and I finally let my exhaustion overcome me and I fell asleep. I didn't wake up until I heard a sickening voice speaking.

"Sasori, you brought a child with you? I know that you wanted a new puppet, but I didn't realize that you would want a child."

Instinct told me not to move, and I followed it. Mostly because I was enjoying being held, and I didn't want the strange man to realize that I was awake, and release me. A moment later I felt the harsh wind against my face, as the we began moving again. I knew instinctively that we were running fast. So fast in fact that I had a feeling if I opened my eyes I would have gotten motion sickness.

We suddenly stopped moving, and the strangers arms tightened around me. I felt a strange tingle go through my body, and then we were inside: someplace dark, and damp, a big difference from the warm, and sunny outside. I shivered at the difference in temperatures, and the man wrapped his cloak around me tightly.

I heard that sickening voice again, and tried to block it out which turned out to be easier then I thought. I was comfortable, and I couldn't remember the last time someone had held me to his heart. I listened to its beating, and soon fell asleep to its rhythm.

/

I woke up a little bit later to the noise of something hitting the floor.

I opened my eyes to see a blond guy leaning over me. I gasped, and pushed myself into the headboard of the bed, I was laying on. The blond smiled at me, and I automatically relaxed. His smile was nice. Not at all luke the vicious one's that I had become accustomed to over the past year-and-a-half.

I smiled back at him, and his grin to widened, before he turned around to face the person behind him at the desk.

"Sasori-Dono, she's awake now, and she's such a cutie. I'm glad you brought her. And we get to keep her? I wonder what caused leader to decide that. Oh well it doesn't matter I'm just glad that I have someone to try my new hairstyles out on. Oh, I need to go find my magazines. I'll talk to you later. Un." As he spoke, he was steadily moving towards the door, and it closed behind him, on his last word. Though most of what he had said didn't process through my brain, I did hear something about him messing with my hair. Which caused me to frown.

My hair was a tangled mess. No one had ever showed me how to brush my hair, and so I had never learned. Normally it just did its own thing and I did mine. If I needed to, I just threw it up in a ponytail to keep it out of my face, and away from my work.

I looked over at the desk to see the man that had saved me, staring at me from his chair across the room. He looked at me for a while before turning back to his work.

I knew that I should just stay in the bed, but my curiosity got the best of me, and I walked over to the desk to look over his arm. He was making a sketch of what looked like a puppet, but it had so many markings that it made my head hurt to try to figure it out. I finally gave up, not having any hope of understanding. I jumped slightly when his voice echoed through the empty room.

"What is your name, girl?''

His eyes didn't leave the paper as he spoke, and he made a small adjustment to the puppet as he waited for my response.

I thought hard about my answer. I knew that at one point, I had had a name. but it had been so long since I had heard it, that it had slipped my memory. I hadn't been called anything besides child or…

"Brat?"

That was the only thing that my aunt had called me in the time that I was with her. He paused in his sketching, and looked at me.

"Brat? I seriously doubt that is your name. You can tell me."

I stared at him confused, and shook my head.

"No, that's really my name. My aunt called me that all the time. So that has to be my name, right?"

He shook his head.

"Did they call you anything else?"

I thought back to before my Uncle had died. What had he called me? He had called me sweetheart, but he called almost everyone that. What else did he call me?

I smiled up at him, triumphantly as I answered.

"Ria. My name is Ria."

A ghost of a smile crossed his face in response to me.

"Hello, Ria, my name is Sasori. This is the Akatsuki headquarters. You will be living here from now on, and until I can figure out which room you will be staying in, you will be sleeping in here."

After he had finished speaking, he returned to his sketching.

I watched him a little longer before becoming sleepy again. Instead of going back to the bed, and being alone I sat down on the floor, laying my head on the chair.

I was almost asleep when I felt a movement above me. Sasori had stood up, and was bending over me to pick me up. He then walked over to the bed, with me in his arms, and laid me gently on the mattress.

Thanks for reading. Review of you want.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Naruto. Nor any of the characters in the show. Enjoy reading. I know that there are grammatical errors. But if there is anything else, let me know.

I woke up a little bit later to the noise of something hitting the floor.

I opened my eyes to see a blond guy leaning over me. I gasped, and pushed myself into the headboard of the bed, I was laying on. The blond smiled at me, and I automatically relaxed. His smile was nice. Not at all luke the vicious one's that I had become accustomed to over the past year-and-a-half.

I smiled back at him, and his grin to widened, before he turned around to face the person behind him at the desk.

"Sasori-Dono, she's awake now, and she's such a cutie. I'm glad you brought her. And we get to keep her? I wonder what caused leader to decide that. Oh well it doesn't matter I'm just glad that I have someone to try my new hairstyles out on. Oh, I need to go find my magazines. I'll talk to you later. Un." As he spoke, he was steadily moving towards the door, and it closed behind him, on his last word. Though most of what he had said didn't process through my brain, I did hear something about him messing with my hair. Which caused me to frown.

My hair was a tangled mess. No one had ever showed me how to brush my hair, and so I had never learned. Normally it just did its own thing and I did mine. If I needed to, I just threw it up in a ponytail to keep it out of my face, and away from my work.

I looked over at the desk to see the man that had saved me, staring at me from his chair across the room. He looked at me for a while before turning back to his work.

I knew that I should just stay in the bed, but my curiosity got the best of me, and I walked over to the desk to look over his arm. He was making a sketch of what looked like a puppet, but it had so many markings that it made my head hurt to try to figure it out. I finally gave up, not having any hope of understanding. I jumped slightly when his voice echoed through the empty room.

"What is your name, girl?''

His eyes didn't leave the paper as he spoke, and he made a small adjustment to the puppet as he waited for my response.

I thought hard about my answer. I knew that at one point, I had had a name. but it had been so long since I had heard it, that it had slipped my memory. I hadn't been called anything besides child or…

"Brat?"

That was the only thing that my aunt had called me in the time that I was with her. He paused in his sketching, and looked at me.

"Brat? I seriously doubt that is your name. You can tell me."

I stared at him confused, and shook my head.

"No, that's really my name. My aunt called me that all the time. So that has to be my name, right?"

He shook his head.

"Did they call you anything else?"

I thought back to before my Uncle had died. What had he called me? He had called me sweetheart, but he called almost everyone that. What else did he call me?

I smiled up at him, triumphantly as I answered.

"Ria. My name is Ria."

A ghost of a smile crossed his face in response to me.

"Hello, Ria, my name is Sasori. This is the Akatsuki headquarters. You will be living here from now on, and until I can figure out which room you will be staying in, you will be sleeping in here."

After he had finished speaking, he returned back to his sketching.

I watched him a little bit longer before becoming sleepy again. Instead of going back to the bed, and being alone I sat down on the floor, laying my head on the chair.

I was almost asleep when I felt a movement above me. Sasori had stood up, and was bending over me to pick me up. He then walked over to the bed, with me in his arms, and laid me gently on the mattress.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Though I wish I did. That would be great. I would make this story come true. I would like for you to review, but I understand if you don't. As long as you read the story. Thanks. Sorry for any mess up's. I tried to make it as accurate as possible.

.::-::._._

I spent nine years with the Akatsuki.

During that time I saw Orochimaru leave due to something that involved me, DieDie-chan, who everybody else called Deidara then became Dolly's (Sasori's) partner. And Weasel Boy (Itachi) was still in love with a girl that he left in a village. I found out that I have the ability to control fire, and that I have horrible aim.

When it became aparent to the leader, who is trying to rule the world, that I would not become an actual member of the Akatsuki (mainly because I wanted to dance, not kill people), he decided that I needed to start living somewhere else.

He said that my being there was making his best ninjas soft. So when I turned thirteen, Dolly took me into the village closest to the Head Quarters to see if I could start living at a house that one of his acquaintances owned.

It wasn't being used, and it was close enough to the Akatsuki that they could come and visit me without it being a long trip. This acquaintance's name was Aubry, he was the one to find me a dance teacher. Aubry owned a club, that organizations like the Akatsuki used for meetings. I began working there as a waitress to pay Aubry back for the dance lessons, and for letting me stay in the house.

I had met some interesting people at Aubry's (the name of the club).

There was Misa, who is very hyper. Mona, who is very steady, and calm. The two of them had become best friends and were staying in another of Aubry's houses.

Then there's the whore twins, Suki and Yuki, who would flirt with any cute guy that came into the club. They apparently have a younger sister, but no one has ever met her, and she's said to be nothing like her sisters.

There are a few guys that pose as the security, and sometimes they're waiters, or anything else that Aubry needs help with. My best friend happens to be one of these guys. He, like me, was taken in by the Akatsuki.

_Flashback:_

I had been at Aubrys, trying to perfect this one dance move that kept evading me. I was eight years old, and I was curious, like every child at that age. So I heard Aubry, and Dolly talking.

''He's a threat, Sasori. The traveler that told me about him, claims that he has seen things. Things that no normal person should see.''

Dolly looked up at him.

"And what exactly would you like me to do about it?"

Aubry looked at him, sternly.

"Well, I was hoping that you would go and see if this boy has the ability to control darkness. And I think that it would be good for Ria to have a friend her age."

I had walked over to them after hearing my name, and Aubry looked at me as I spoke.

"Why do I need a friend my age? I have Dolly, DieDie-chan, Weasel Boy, and Toby to play with. I don't need anyone else."

Die had styled my hair that day so that it was hanging in my face covering one of my eyes. Making me look like a miniature version of the artist. Dolly stared at me for a moment before turning his attention back to Aubry.

"Alright. I see what you mean, but I don't know how I'm going to convince, Leader to let me have another child at the Akatsuki."

Aubry smiled, and leaned back, crossing his arms smugly.

"Let me talk to him. He'll listen to me. Besides, he owes me a favor."

So Dolly and I went to look for this boy, who Aubry thought would be a good friend for me.

Though I really didn't see the point of another friend, I was glad to be going somewhere with Dolly. That didn't happen very often. So I skipped down the road, next to him.

When we reached the city gates I stopped. Something was wrong. There wasn't a guard, that in itself told me that something was wrong. I was suddenly reminded of a time before, when I had still been an abused child living in my aunt's house. There was the smell of blood lingering in the air.

I could tell Dolly smelled it too, because he drew me closer to him. When I tried to ask him about what had happened, he hushed me. He led me through the gates, and I looked around trying to find somebody walking around. There was no one. We kept looking for some sign that people were alive, but couldn't find anything.

As we got closer to the far side of the village, I began hearing a faint noise coming from somewhere to my left. It sounded like crying. Dolly ran off in that direction, and I followed more slowly. I knew that if there was something alive here, then that thing had probably been the one to kill all these people.

I walked into the house that Dolly had run into, and saw that he had stopped just inside the door. I looked to the place on the floor that he was looking.

A boy who looked about a year older than me was sitting there covered in blood. A bloodied katana was lying forgotten beside him. He had the heels of his hands pressed tightly to his eyes, and there was strangled sobs coming out of his small body.

I looked at Dolly, making sure it was safe, before walking slowly toward the crying boy. I knelt down beside him, trying to avoid getting blood on my clothes as I gently laid my hand on his shoulder. He jumped, but didn't pull away as he raised his eyes towards my face. He swallowed hard, trying to choke back his sobs so he could speak.

"They're dead."

He sounded as if he couldn't believe it. "They're all dead, and I was the one that killed them. I didn't mean to, I thought they were something else. So I killed them."

He suddenly busted back into tears and threw himself into my arms. I looked at Dolly, unsure of what to do.

He sighed, and walked over to pick the crying boy up, taking him away from the carnage that he had created. I followed close behind, clutching Dolly's cloak in my hand.

From that point on, Salem and I were almost inseparable.

From what Aubry had told me, fire, and darkness always got along well together.

Though it wasn't common knowledge, most of us at Aubry's could control an element. Aubry's was constructed for the reason of helping the users to control their elements. Though it had become a club in the recent generations.

Aubry told us that there has to be a generation of elemental users, or else the world becomes out of balance. I zoned out during that speech. And the users always make their was to Aubry's at some point or another for help. Its as if some invisible magnet draws us there.

So, here we were.

People who could command an element, trying to keep a hold of our sometimes out of control powers. Salem controled darkness. I controled fire. Misa controlled wind. Mona controlled Earth. Yuki controlled water, and Jagar controled light.

We all stayed at Aubry's, and with the exception of Salem, got there before our elements could get out of control.

Now I was on the way with Dolly to see if Salem and I could stay at one of Aubry's houses. Salem had to be kicked out of the Akatsuki too, since he wouldn't kill anyone either. So the leader decided that both of us were useless. Though, neither of us cared. As long as the people we cared about were happy.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

..::::..

Dolly had convinced Aubry to let Salem and I stay in the house. We have lived there for three years.

I was now seventeen and Salem had just turned eighteen. Dolly, DieDie-Chan, and Weasel Boy visited almost every week. Weasel sometimes brought over his children. He had married his girlfriend about a year-and-a-half after I had been kicked out of the Akatsuki. It was a quiet wedding.

A year after that she had become pregnant with the twins. A cute little boy and girl, both had black hair. Though the girl had black eyes like her father, and the boy had blue eyes like his mother.

Dolly's girlfriend, that he had kept secret, had gotten pregnant a few months after, and had a little boy. He has Dolly's hair, and forest green eyes.

So now I have three little kids running around calling me aunt Ria, and Salem uncle Lem.

When Dolly, and Weasel had to go on missions they would leave the kiddos with us, and more often then not we would take them to Aubry's. Sometimes there were other kids there. Aubry had tried to keep his club a family environment. At least downstairs. Upstairs wasn't as safe, since that's where all the organizations would meet, so none of the children were allowed up there.

During one of these time that I was had brought the kids to Aubry's I met a teenage boy. He was travelling with an older man that kept looking at the girls like we were cows on the auction block. I didn't like it, at all.

The older man was talking to Aubry while the younger boy was looking around the room with bored eyes.

To my chagrin Aubry noticed me as I walked through the door. He motioned me over, and I sighed before placing Niko (Dolly's child), who I had been carrying on the floor. I watched him run over to Riku and Miku (Weasels children), whom Salem had brought over earlier that day.

I then took a calming breath and walked over to where Aubry was standing. He introduced me to the old man, who's name was Jirya. The teenage boy's name was Naruto Uzamaki.

Aubry wanted me to show Naruto around, and after a short glaring contest, that Aubry easily won, I agreed. Apparently he needed to speak with the old man privately, without the boy interrupting.

I turned away from the two of them, happy to get away from the old man. He was beginning to creep me out. The pervert.

So I began showing Naruto around the club. I introduced him to Salem, and some of the other staff members.

He was a really talkative guy. I don't think he stopped chattering throughout the entire tour. Except to hear someone's name, and then he never remembered it. He kept telling me that he was going to be the next Hokage. Believe it!

At one point, after he made this declaration, loudly I asked what a Hokage was. He explained that it was the leader in the village hidden in the leaves. That he took care of everyone, and protected it with his life. I had smiled as I replied to his explanation.

"Well if the Hokage talks a lot you're a sure winner."

He had laughed. He turned out to be a really nice kid. I didn't find out till later that he was older then me, even if he didn't act it.

He spent two weeks staying at the house with Salem, and I. The day before he left he said that he had to finish his training, before he ran out of time. When I asked him why he was running out of time, he got a serious look on his face.

" One of my friends was brainwashed into believing that this creep could help him become stronger. So he could defeat his brother that had massacred his clan. So now I'm trying to save him, before its too late.''

This was the first time that I had seen Naruto so serious, in the two weeks that I had gotten to know him. I wasn't sure that I liked it.

''You must really care about this friend of yours, huh? What's his name?''

Naruto shrugged. ''

Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha.''

My eyes widened as I heard the name of Weasel's little brother. The one that ran from his village to join Orochimaru. That alone made him insane, and completely stupid in my mind.

I had constantly asked myself why any person would go off with that creature. Even to get stronger. Surely you could find someone or something else to help. There was something very, very wrong with Weasel Boy's brother.

Naruto had noticed my lack of response, for once being observant.

He shook my shoulder gently.

''Ria, are you okay?''

I was still in shock over hearing that Naruto knew Weasel's little brother, and it took me a few seconds to answer.

''Yeah, I'm fine. That name just took me by surprise.''

He stared at me confused. ''You know Sasuke?''

I shook my head. ''Not Sasuke. The last name. Uchiha.''

He still looked confused. ''Really? How?''

I bit my lip. Crap. Well now I had opened my big mouth, and gotten myself into a colossal mess. I sighed. Better to tell the truth then get caught in a lie later. I took a deep breath.

''Naruto, can I tell you something without you getting angry, or going all psycho ninja on me?''

He nodded, a grin spreading across his face.

'Sure Ria. You can tell me whatever. I don't go 'psycho ninja' on people unless they really deserve it.'' Well that seemed like the best offer that I was going to get. I took a deep breath.

"Naruto, what if I told you that Sasuke's brother helped raise me?''

I stopped, and looked at him gauging his reaction. As far as I could see he stayed calm. So I continued telling him about my past. Though I had to leave out a few details.

There were some secrets that I wouldn't betray. But I did tell him about Dolly saving me, and that Salem and I were kicked out of the Akatsuki. Who the kids I babysit belonged to.

He listened quietly, his brow furowing. He interrupted, once to ask me a question.

When I had finished he stayed quiet.

I held my breath,waiting for his explosion of anger, and repulsion. It never came. He was looking at me closely, before finally beginning to speak again.

''You were in the Akatsuki when Orochimaru was there, right?''

I had flinched at the mention of the snake man, but nodded.

"Yeah. He was still Dolly's partner for a few months after I came. Why do you ask?''

He paused for a moment before continuing in a rush.

''Do you have any idea where he's hiding? It would help a lot if you could tell me if you do.''

Ah, so that's what he wanted. I shook my head sadly.

''No Naruto. I'm sorry, but I don't keep track of the snake man. Out of all the Akatsuki members he was the only one to frighten me. So after he left I was so excited to be rid of him that it really never occurred to me that he could, and would hurt people.''

''So you weren't friends with him?''

Naruto's voice was filled with relief.

I smiled slightly. ''Not even close. As a matter of fact, the main reason he left was because of an incident that involved me. And since I know you're dying to know what happened, I'll promise to tell you some other time.

He laughed. ''Alright, I'll hold you to that.''

I nodded. ''So you don't mind about the whole Akatsuki thing?''

He shook his head. ''Not really. You never joined right?''

I shook my head. ''No. I wouldn't kill anyone.''

He smiled. ''Good. Then nope.'' His face became serious. ''But Ria, you have to understand that if they attack my village I will fight, and possibly kill them.''

I nodded, not really disturbed by this.

''Yeah, I know that, but I seriously doubt you'll get your shot at most of them. They won't want to wait that long.''

Naruto was staring at me, his expression confused, causing me to laugh. I explained myself quickly.

''Alright. The only way to retire from the Akatsuki without being hunted down and annihilated is to die. So, if they fake their death, and everyone believes that they actually die, then they're not considered members anymore. They're pronounced dead. So they can have a normal life, and start a family, and not have to worry about someone killing their loved ones in order to get to them.''

''So they're just going to fake their deaths?'' Naruto looked sceptical.

I smiled, and nodded. He shrugged.

''I just thought that most of them were just killers, who didn't care about anyone.''

I laughed. ''There is more to most of them then just that, but even I have to admit that they wouldn't hesitate to kill someone, if they feel that they have too.''

He nodded. '' And these fake deaths, actually work?''

I nodded. ''Yeah, but Naruto this is a secret. Okay? If anybody finds out that that's what is going on they will start looking into this, and the whole scheme will be blown.''

He grinned. ''Don't worry Ria. I can keep a secret. Believe it!''

I laughed at his enthusiastic phrase, and shook my head.

The next morning he left, returning to Konoha with his perverted teacher.

Life would go back to normal. Mostly.

Dolly, and DieDie-Chan had been assigned to steal the new Kazekage from a village that neighboured Konoha. Dolly came over the day they left and asked if I would watch Niko. I agreed of course. This was Dolly's little boy, so of course I would watch him for however long they were gone. Before Dolly left I asked him if he would be initiating his plan anytime soon. He had smirked faintly and nodded.

''It will be very soon. I just found out that I will become a father again, and I can't have my children being raised around headquarters. I got lucky with you turning out fine, I'm not sure any other child would have turned out so well.''

I laughed and gave him a goodbye hug before taking Niko inside. He was hungry, and I needed to fix dinner.

It turned out that Dolly's plan included a girl named, Sakura from the Hidden Leaf Village, and his own Grandmother. He fought hard, making it seem like he wanted to win. Then he barely moved in time to avoid a deadly blow. It stunned him enough that to anyone around he would appear dead. After all of the ninjas had left he staggered his way to Aubry's for some much needed medical attention.

When he was mostly healed, he sent Salem with a note to Rosa (Dolly's wife) who met up with him a few minutes later. They had already bought a house in a part of the farm land that surrounded Aubry's.

''So I can keep an eye on you, while still not being around to many people.'' Dolly had said this while holding Niko in his lap, a small smile on his face.

A month, or two after Dolly's 'death' it was said that DieDie-chan had been killed. However Aubry's has a frequent blond visitor, that insists that art is fleeting and will argue with Dolly till the end of time on whether it is or isn't.

It was a while after Die was pronounced dead before Weasel was said to be killed by his own brother.

Weasels wife, and children had claimed that they were going to stay with her relatives in the mountains, which was a complete lie. They bought a house almost next door to Dolly's.

Die's was a short walking distance north of Weasel's.

So I had all of the men that had raised me a short distance away. I never had to worry about someone recognizing them, because the town, and country side surrounding it was neutral territory. So anyone stupid enough to mess with the people inhabiting it would have to answer to Aubry directly.

Of course nobody ever tried. People are afraid of Aubry, for some strange reason. Go figure. So I thought my life was perfect, and nothing could mess that up. But everyone knows that life is like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs. And my life was about to go to the bottom quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

I woke up planning on going to visit Dolly when I heard Salem yelling up the stairs.

''Ria! Naruto's at the door!'' So I practically run down the stairs, and throw myself into his arms. Luckily he was expecting something like this and caught me.

''Ru Ru! (My nickname for Naruto) Hi!''

I was laughing, and pushed myself from his arms, to settle my feet on the floor.

''So what are you doing here?''

I was waiting for his answer, but Salem interrupted.

''Ria thats rude.'' I glanced at his face, and noticed that he had his nose stuck in the air. ''You should invite guests in to sit down before you start questioning them.''

I sighed at his good host attitude.

''Fine. Then would you like to come in and sit down Ru Ru? I'm sure Salem will then want me to make tea also.''

Salem was glaring at me slightly, and Naruto shook his head, smiling.

''Nope! I need to go find my group before I tell you about what's going on. I just wanted to let you know that we were coming over.''

He was walking towards the door when he began speaking. He suddenly turned and looked at me his eyes shinning. ''Oh yeah, Ria can you make something to eat? I'm starved.''

I nodded, and he grinned. ''Thanks! I'll see you again in a few minutes.''

Then he was running off, away from the house. I shook my head, and turned to Salem.

''I guess I better start cooking.''

He nodded. ''I guess so. How many people do you think came with him?''

I shrugged . '' I don't know. But if its that perv that came with him before, he's sleeping at Aubry's.'' Salem laughed.

''Well you could always put him in the kitchen, and have Sora keep an eye on him.''

Sora was my huge Great Dane, and I pretended to look appalled.

''Poor Sora. I wouldn't be able to do that to her. She would probably jump through a closed window to get away from him.'' I laughed. ''Anyways. I'm going to make pizza. Do you have a certain kind that you want?''

He looked thoughtful.

''Pepperoni. With extra, extra cheese.''

I nodded.

''Alright, I better get started then.''

I left Salem by the door, and made my way to the kitchen.

Forty-five minutes later, and there was still no sign of Naruto, or his group. The pizzas were finished, and to keep them hot I left them in the oven. I decided that I would make cookies for desert, considering I apparently still had some time.

I was putting the cookie batter onto a cookie sheet, when I heard voices coming from the other room. I paused trying to figure out if I recognized any of them. I was still listening when Naruto walked into the kitchen.

''Mm, that smells really good. What did you make?''

He walked over to the stove, and looked into the oven.

''It's pizza, and if you give me a few minutes we'll have cookies for desert.'' I had to shove him out of the way so I could get the Pizzas out, and put the cookie sheet in. I had just closed the oven door when Salem walked into the kitchen followed by a girl with pink hair, and a glare on her face.

''Naruto! What are you doing? We need to get started.''

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, and laughed nervously.

''Oh, sorry Sakura. I was just checking on the food. I'm really hungry, and I know the everybody else is too.''

So this was the infamous Sakura. The one with the terrible temper, and normally acts on her feelings. Dolly had given me some information about her.

She was the present Hokage's apprentice, Naruto's team mate, and had been irrevocably in love with Sausuke. This had caused a nice love triangle. Naruto had been infatuated with Sakura, Sakura was in love with Sasuke, and Sasuke just wanting to be left alone so he could train to kill his brother.

Though in my opinion the guy liked Sakura much, much more then he ever let on. Though with the way she was screaming at Naruto. I couldn't understand why.

''Why do you always think of food. Even at important times like this, all you can think about is your stomach.''

She looked like she was ready to murder him. And I didn't want any blood on my kitchen floor so I thought I better intervene.

'' Alright, how about we eat first, and then you guys can explain why your here. Like Naruto said, you're all hungry. You're just not blunt enough to say it.''

She was starring at me like she hadn't noticed me before hand, and it occurred to me that she had been concentrating so much on Naruto that she probably hadn't. Naruto, being the oblivious person that he is, didn't notice and ran to the other room yelling. As soon as Naruto was in the other room she began speaking.

''I'm sorry, I don't seem to remember Naruto mentioning that a girl lived in this house.'' This surprised me. I would have thought Naruto would at least mention me.

''Really? I don't know why he wouldn't. I was here the last time he visited. But since he skipped over me, why don't you tell me what he DID talk about.''

I was wasn't much that he had seen in a few weeks. And the time that Naruto had stayed had been pretty boring anyways.

''Well he mentioned that he stayed with a guy called Salem, and one called Ri. He also mentioned that they worked at a club. And he said something about most of the workers at this club could use elements, but that none of them were ninjas.''

I was holding in my laughter. Naruto hadn't skipped over me at all. He just used my nickname, and these people had assumed that Ri was a boy. I better straighten this out.

'' Well, see, Naruto did stay here, and SALEM is a guy, but you got Ri's gender wrong. Ri is Naruto's nickname for me. My actual name is Ria, and as you can see I'm not a guy.''

I had to choke back my laughter as I finished speaking. The look on Sakura's face was amusing. She looked like she had swallowed an entire pig. She hesitated a moment, before yelling, and storming towards the living room.

''Naruto! Why didn't you tell me Ri was a girl. I just made a complete fool of myself.''

I shook my head and, walked over to the stove to turn the oven off. When I turned around again, I saw Salem appear out of the shadows.

''Sooo, that's a violent little girl, huh?''

I could tell by his voice that he was about to laugh.

I sighed, and looked at the door startled as I heard a loud a moment before Naruto started pleading.

''Oh come on Sakura. I didn't mean it.''

I looked back to Salem, and as I spoke sarcasm drifted into my voice.

''Oh well this is going to be fun. I always wanted to clean ninja blood out of my carpet.''

Salem snorted.

''I know, its always been on your wish list. And it gets better.''

I stared at him horrified. ''Oh no,what is it?''

He smiled.

''Well, for one there's a guy in there that is a major perv.''

I groaned. ''Really?''

He nodded, and I sighed. ''Alright, anything else?''

He nodded again. ''Yeah, do you remember the last mission that Die, and Sasori went on?''

I nodded confused.

''Well you know the Kazekage that held the Shukaku spirit...''

I was gaping at him, and I swallowed, before whispering.

''My life has just gotten very, very complicated. Crap!''

Salem, the jerk, was now laughing at my discomfort. I glared at him.

''Oh shut up Salem! Why? Why me? What have I done to deserve this kind of punishment?''

Salem was laughing harder now, tears coming to his eyes.

''Well, would you like to go and meet them or would you rather stay in here and have a pity party?''

I smiled at him.

''Pity party for one please. That is unless you would like to join me at La Moping. They serve cheese and wine, and are very famous for their smallest violin collection.''

He gave me a 'you-are-a-moron' look, and I sighed.

''Fine, lets go meet the perv. And the Kazekage


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Naruto, or it's character's.

We walked through the door to see Naruto on the couch rubbing his head which now had a visible knot. I looked to the people around him, curiously. There were three boys and two girls.

Sakura I had already met, but the other girl introduced herself as Temari. She was the eldest sibling of two of the boys. Kankuro was one of her brothers, and the middle child. He looked a little like a cat, who had fallen into a bucket of purple paint.

Then there was Gaara. The youngest sibling, and the Kazekage.

I was startled at his appearance. I had heard that he was young, but it had never really hit me that he would be my age. And cute. Really cute. With steady aqua eyes, and slightly spiky blood, red hair. It took me awhile to drag my eyes from him to the next guy.

His name was Sai, and he was the pervert. He was wearing a shirt that left his abs and stomach exposed. He was carrying ink so I figured that his jutsu had to do with painting. Well that, or he threw paint into his opponents eyes, and ran for his life. Now that would be an interesting technique.

I sighed thinking about my new predicament. I was sitting in my home, with four strange ninjas. One of these, my adopted family had almost succeeded killing. Another had gotten angry at one of the others and had almost given him a concussion. And still another was a complete pervert who kept looking at my chest. Today just kept getting better, and better.

Naruto was the first to break the awkward silence that had fallen after the introductions. His loud voice echoing around the room.

''So when are we going to eat?''

I smiled. Leave it to Naruto to remember he was hungry in a tense situation.

He glanced at Sakura, and flinched when he saw the angry look that had sparked into her eyes. I glanced at Salem,and he intervened.

''Now. Well' eat now, and after we finish you can explain what's going on.''

He stood up, and walked towards the kitchen. Naruto had already ran through the door, and I could hear plates clattering.I flinched hoping he wouldn't break anything, and than chuckled as his voice carried through the closed door.

'' Ria! These cookies are great.''

I hurried into the kitchen to make sure that Naruto didn't devour the entire cookie sheet. The other ninjas followed more slowly.

When everyone had finished eating we returned to the couches. Salem, and I needed an explanation for why these strange people had shown up at our house.

Sakura was the first to speak.

''Okay, I'm guessing that Naruto has already told you about Sasuke?''

Salem, and I both nodded, and she continued.

''Good, then I only need to explain the reason why we're here. We're going on a mission to find Sasuke, and bring him back to Konoha. We are to return with him alive.

The problem is, we have no idea on where to even _begin_ looking.''

I tilted my head, confused. ''So what does that have to do with us?''

Sakura hesitated. ''Well Naruto said that you might have some way of knowing where he was at.''

I was glaring at Naruto. Shooting daggers at him with my eyes.

I heard Salem cough, trying to hide his laughter, and Naruto gave me a sheepish smile.

''Aw, come on Ri! If anyone can find out where Sasuke is, its you and Salem.''

I snorted. ''And _how_ Naruto, do you expect me to get that kind of information?''

He shrugged. ''Well I was thinking that some of the people that come into Aubry's might know something.''

I grumbled. Today was ranking high on my 'worst days' list.

I sighed. ''Alright, even if I did get the information about Sasuke, which I'm not saying I will, it _still _may not help you. Sometimes the gossip is old before it gets to Aubry's. The person could have moved on, or changed his plans.''

All the ninjas were quiet for a few moments, before Sakura spoke.

''Please Ria. It's the only lead we have. We already found him once, but he didn't want to come home. I'm sure if we find him again, I can convince him to come home. Please?''

The girl was on the verge of tears. Even if she was trying hard to hide them. She was still in love with this jerk, and his refusal to return was tearing her heart out. Though she was putting on a strong front.

I glanced sideways at Salem**. **If I was going to agree to this I needed his help. He was the one I always went to with my schemes. He had a way of knowing things that other people would like to keep hidden. And I had seen on many occasions someone pour their heart out to him, just because he was willing to sit down and listen to them.

I definitely needed Salem's help.

He glanced back at me, and nodded his head, a slight smirk on his lips. I could almost hear his voice saying 'this is going to be fun.' I shook my head. Well at least I had my backup. Having Salem in on a plan always made me feel better.

I turned my attention back to Sakura, who was looking from Salem, to me hopefully.

I smiled slightly. ''Alright, we'll help you as much as we can. But I can't promise that it will be enough to find him. Sometimes theres more rumors then you can keep up with, and then sometimes there isn't any at all.''

Sakura smiled shakily. ''Thank you. For at least trying to help.''

My smile was unconvincing, I'm sure. It was just one of those bad days.

It decided that we would begin looking for information the next time Salem, or I worked. The group of ninjas would be staying at our house, and it would be the base of operation.

So it really didn't come as much of a shock that I heard Salem, and Naruto scrounging around in the kitchen, looking for a midnight snack. They better clean up their mess. I really didn't want to do dishes before cooking tomorrow.

I groaned, wondering if these ninjas were morning people. Probably. I huffed. I wasn't getting up at the break of dawn to cook them breakfast. They could scrounge up their own food.

I was getting ready to crawl into my bed when I heard Sora (the dog) whining outside. Crap, who let her out? I went over to the window to take a look, and sure enough there she was, standing at the front door.

I thought about just leaving her outside, but changed my mind. She really wasn't trained to be outside throughout the night.

I made my way to the stairs, and bumped into someone. I looked up to see who I had just crashed into, and of course it was the pervert. Just my luck.

I sighed. ''I'm sorry. I didn't see you,''

He smirked, and blocked my path downstairs. I finally just tried to walk around him, but he moved to block me again. I was really beginning to not like this guy.

I placed my hands on my hips, and glared up at him. Jeez, why did everybody have to be taller then me? My glare would be much more effective if they didn't have to look down at me.

''Look buddy, if you have something to say, say it already, and get out of my way.''

His smirk widened. ''There's no reason to be harsh babe. I know you like me. You could hardly keep your eyes off of me when we were introduced. Come on. You can admit it. I won't hold it against you.''

I stood there thinking for a few seconds. Did I do anything besides glance at him? Nope. I was to distracted by Gaara to even concentrate on most of the planning about tomorrow. Dang the boy is hot.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I felt a pair of hands slid around my waist. Well that was a cruel way to crash back to reality from such a nice daydream.

My glare became harsher, not sure why this guy though that he could violate my personal space.

''I don't know what you think your doing, but get your perverted, don't know where they've been hands off of me, before I _cut _them off!''

My voice had turned as quiet and as deadly as I could make it. I knew from experience that most people would have backed off by now. But apparently this guy was more stupid then I had originally thought.

His smile widened. ''Aww! Come on baby, you know you want me.''

I gritted my teeth, knowing that my eyes were flashing dangerously. ''Did you just call me baby?''

He smirked, his hands tightening. ''Yeah. Why does it turn you on?''

I smiled evilly. ''Not even close, you moronic, pervert. It really just makes me want to hurl. I find it sickening that someone would call their lover, baby. As if they were their child. Its like your dating one of your own. That you changed their diapers, and fed them and dealt with their spit up covering your new shirt.

And as for thinking of you as a love interest, I can honestly say that you _never _crossed my mind. So, later.''

I kicked him in between the legs, and he instantly went down. I sprinted to my room, while he was on the ground. Screw the dog. If she wanted in she could learn how to open the door herself.

Seven circles of Hell! What kind of jerks come out of Konoha? They're all perverts.

I locked my door. Something that I hardly ever do, and looked out the window. Sora wasn't there. Someone else must have let her in.

I crawled into my bed, and waited for sleep to claim me. It didn't take long, even with the extra excitement. My eyelids became heavy, and I soon drifted off into sleep.

Around three in the morning I heard something scratching at my bedroom door.

I really didn't want to get up, but I knew that if I didn't let Sora in, she would never let me go back to sleep. So I tossed the covers off, and walked over to my door. I barely cracked it, and when I was convinced that no unexpected person was in the hallway I opened the door wide enough for her to get through.

When she was through, I quickly closed and locked the door.

I turned around finding her laying at the foot of my bed, looking at me like 'Well its about time you let me in.' I smiled and crawled back into bed.

I looked at Sora again, and noticed that she had dry blood on her mouth. I was surprised at that. Sora is a very sweet tempered dog, and wouldn't even hurt a fly if she could help it. Torment it maybe, but not hurt it. So she really doesn't like whoever she bit. I shrugged. Oh well they deserved it, I'm sure. I closed my eyes, and let sleep take me for the second time that night.

I woke up again at eleven, and the only reason I woke up that early was because Salem, and Naruto had decided that it was time for brunch, and that I needed to fix waffles. Well waffles and Spaghetti. Gross combination in my opinion, but hey to each his own.

I got up, and threw on the first pair of clothes that I could find. I made my way downstairs to the kitchen, and found Salem and Naruto setting plates out on the table. They were hungry so they would want to eat as soon as something was ready.

Salem was the first to see me and he smirked as he turned my way.

''So how was your run in with the perv last night?''

I could tell he was about to laugh, and I glared at him as I answered.

'' Well I figure you saw most of it, so you tell me.''

Salem was trying not to laugh, but Naruto ruined it by laughing, himself. Salem joined in soon after, and I stood there for a moment fighting against my own laughter that bubbled up. I finally gave up, and joined in. I couldn't help it. They had that contagious laughter, and I just had to laugh with them.

We were still laughing when the other ninjas walked into the kitchen. Sai was the last one through the door, and when we saw him our laughter nearly went to hysteria.

Naruto had fallen to the floor and was now holding his side. I was leaning against the stove with tears rolling down my face, and Salem had collapsed into a chair with his entire body shaking. I know that the others were thinking that we were crazy, but the looks on their faces just made our laughter last longer.

When we had finally calmed down enough to talk. Sakura asked what we had been laughing about. Salem smirked at her and said in between gasps that it was a secret, and now he was hungrier then he had been before. He turned to me then, and wanted to know if the food was ready.

A week after my run in with Sai, Aubry had came by the house, and told me that I was going to work that night. I had nodded and immediately, told the ninjas. They had seemed excited about hearing this news, and had instantly went to train.

Salem had gone somewhere to do whatever it is that Salem does, and I went to my room to get ready for work. I needed to be at Aubry's at four and it was already 2:30p.m.

I took a quick shower, got into my uniform, dried my hair, and went in search of my shoes. I always lose them. Sometimes I think that they grow their own feet and walk off. I also needed to find Salem so he could brush my hair.

Never learning how to brush my hair was a nuisance sometimes, but I never had a reason to learn. Die brushed it once or twice a day since I was brought to the Akatsuki, and Salem took over that job after we moved.

While I was looking for Salem and my disappearing shoes, I lost track of time. The next time I looked at the clock it was ten till four, and shoes, or not I was leaving. I still hadn't seen Salem, and I really needed to leave.

I walked to the backyard, and asked Naruto that if he saw Salem would he tell him that I had gone to Aubry's and that if he saw my shoes anywhere to please bring them.

He nodded. ''Do you need me to go with you?''

I shook my head. ''No I think I'll be fine. It's not that far, and I'm a big girl I can normally take care of myself.''

He smiled and nodded. ''I know that. Have fun Ri. We'll see you in a little bit.''

I smiled, and walked back into the house to make another sweep of my room. I sighed and threw my hair up into a ponytail, still not finding my shoes. I quickly ran downstairs and out the door. I would have to run the entire way so I wouldn't be horribly late.

I walked through the door to Aubry's and noticed that Misa and Mona were already there, standing at the back of the room.

I also noticed that the whore twins weren't there at all. Most likely they would be fashionably late. What I found odd. though was that Jagur wasn't there yet. He was normally the one to help Aubry unlock the doors.

I shrugged. Aubry probably had him on some errand.

I walked towards the two girls in the back, and when they noticed me Misa tackled me in a hug. ''Ria, Hiii! How are you? Salem was here earlier, and he said that you had guests at your house. He said that Naruto had come back, but this time he brought a couple of his friends. He also said that one of them was a major pervert.''

When you really didn't want to say much Misa was the girl to talk to. You had to interrupt her to get a word in.

I smiled. '' Yeah, and I really don't like him. Could I ship him off to yours and Mona's house?''

I laughed, and Mona smiled. ''Sure send him over. I can handle pervs. Most of the time they're really funny.''

I shook my head, wrinkling my nose slightly. ''Coolness. I might see if he'll go for that. Although Misa may not be to happy about that arrangement.''

I looked back at her, and she smiled. ''Not really, but we could switch places. I would come stay at your house, and he would go stay with Mona. It would be fun!''

I laughed. '' But then you would leave poor Mona all by herself.''

Mona gasped. ''Thank God! Some alone time. Finally!''

There was a startled quiet for a moment before we all started laughing.

After a moment,Misa turned towards me. ''So are your peoples going to be here tonight?''

I nodded. ''I think so. They were still planning on it when I left, but something can come up between now an then.''

Mona huffed playfully. ''Yeah Misa. Gosh!''

Misa opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted when the whore twins walked through the doors. We heard them laughing loudly across the room, and I had a feeling that if I had been standing any closer, my eardrums would have busted.

I turned my attention back to Mona when she sighed.

''Great, just what I needed. Two giggly bunnies for target practice. Where do we keep the butcher knives again?''

I laughed. ''I don't know, but if you need help burying the bodies give me a call.''

She smiled. ''Sure thing. Do you know of a place where they wont be found?''

I was about to answer, when I noticed that the twins were walking towards us, in my peripheral vision. I turned to the girls with wide eyes.

''Uh oh. Incoming bunnies at twelve o'clock.''

Misa giggled, before turning to the twins that were standing beside us, trying to make conversation. Suki was the first to speak. ''So how was every bodies night last night?'' Yuki laughed, and interrupted anything that we would have said.

''Ours was great. We met these really cute guys at a party. They were ninjas from one of the villages nearby. I can't remember their names though.''

She turned to her sister. ''Do you remember their names?''

Suki shook her head. '' No, and it doesn't really matter. They were cute, but they're gone now, so it's time to focus on other guys. Oh, and a few cute ones just walked into the door.''

I looked uninterested over to the door, and blinked shocked. Salem had just led the group of ninjas inside. I looked over at the whore twins that were making their way over to the ninjas. If they messed with these guys heads, I was going to...Well I really didn't know what I would do, but it would not be pretty.

I was still glaring icily at the twins when I heard Misa talking.

''Oh Ria, are those the ninjas that are staying at your house?''

I nodded. ''Yeah. The pink haired girls name is Sakura. The boy with black hair, and wearing the shirt that doesn't cover his stomach is Sai. The blond girl with the ponytails is Temari, the guy with the purple paint on his face that kinda looks like a cat is her brother, Kankuro, and the guy with red hair is Gaara, they're other brother. And of course you've already met Naruto.''

Misa nodded, as Mona spoke. ''So are they all from the leaf village?''

I shook my head. ''No, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara are from the sand village. Gaara is actually the Kazekage of that particular village.''

Misa looked at me confused. ''Okay you can tease me later, but what is a Kazekage?''

Mona sighed, but answered. ''A Kage is someone that rules over the hidden villages. The Kage that rules over the leaf village is called the Hokage, and the Kage that rules over the sand village is called the Kazekage.''

She paused for a second. ''So is Sai the perv you were talking about?''

I nodded. ''Yap, and if you want him you can take him home with you.''

She smiled. ''I might just do that. He's actually kinda cute, but what happened to his arm?''

I was staring at her, horrified that she found the pervert cute.

Her question about his arm startled me though, and I turned to look at him. I saw a bandage wrapped around his wrist, and shook my head before turning my attention back to Mona, with a shrug.

''I don't know. I didn't even know he had hurt himself.''

I stopped as a thought came to me suddenly. I began snickering, and the two girls starred at me.

I answered, laughingly. ''You know, I bet Sora bit him.''

Mona gave me a you-have-got-to-be-joking look. ''Your little fufu dog actually bit someone?''

I nodded. ''Yeah. She had blood on her mouth last night, and I was wondering where she had gotten it from. I guess now I know.''

She shook her head, her voice dripping in sarcasm. ''Well that's nice.''

I smiled and looked over to where I had last seen the ninjas. The twins had already began talking with the boys, and were making it a point to completely ignoring the two girls.

I turned back to Mona. ''Well, if you want to talk to him you better start now. The twins are looking for fresh meat.''

Mona glared at them before grabbing Misas wrist. ''Come on Misa. Let's go talk to the ninjas.''

I watched Mona drag Misa to the wall where the ninjas had gathered with a smile. The whore twins shoot a glare at them, as they took the boys' attention away, and I had to force down a laugh.

Mona, of course walked up to Sai, but I was surprised to see Misa shooting admiring glances at Kankuro, who had lowered his hood, so he could show of his messy brown hair.

Sakura being the good friend that she was, had gotten in between the twins and Naruto as soon as they had walked over.

I scanned the group again searching for a certain red haired Kazekage, but apparently he had slipped off somewhere. I looked around the room but didn't see any sign of him. Where could that boy have gone? I was about to go ask Temari, when I caught a brief flash if red.

I looked to the darkest corner of Aubry's and saw the unsociable Kage hiding. I bit my lip to keep from laughing, and after making sure the twins weren't looking I made my way over to him.

When I stopped beside him, I noticed that his face was drawn tight. He was tense and looked uncomfortable standing in the shadows. It was obvious that he didn't want to be here with the ever increasing amount of people.

He didn't look at me, and I thought that he might be unaware of my presence, so I began speaking.

''This is a good hiding place, when your trying to disappear from fawning twins.''

I was hoping that I could draw him into a conversation.. I hadn't talked to him much since he had been staying at my house. I seemed to have acquired the talent to become tongue tied around him. It didn't help that when he looked at me with those eyes of his, I lost my concentration.

He stared at me for a few moments before turning back towards the people, and replying.

''Are those two girls always like that?''

He was talking about the twins of course, and I nodded.

''Yeah, they flirt with all the guys. Well as long as they're cute.''

I paused, wondering if he liked that type of girl. I knew a few guys that did, but Gaara really didn't seem like that kind of person.

He didn't say anything for a few minutes, and I saw that he was trying to word his question carefully. I waited as patiently as I could. Though for me that wasn't saying much.

''So they're in love with all the guys that come in here? Even when they don't know them?''

He looked back at me, his eyes confused. I shook my head, not breaking the eye contact.

''No, they're not in love with _anyone_ that I know of. They just like to flirt.''

He still looked confused.

I tilted my head, sudenly curious. ''Gaara do you understand what flirting is?''

He paused before answering. ''It's when a person likes another person, and they begin teasing each other, and touching the other person for no reason, and basically doing what those two girls are doing.''

I stared at him a few moments wondering if he actually understood, or if that was just words that someone had told him, and he was repeating it.

I thought for a moment, trying to make it simple so that he would actually understand, and not just hear the words.

''Those girls _do_ like every guy that comes in, but its not because they like the guy _himself_, or that they even _care_ about him. It's like a game to them. Like they want to know how many guys they can get to notice them before they die.''

I took a breath, before continuing. '' Most people like the people that they flirt with, but there is a few in this world that just use it to pass the time when their bored.''

I hadn't looked away from him while I spoke, and I saw the comprehension light in his eyes, after I had finished my explanation. He stared at me for a few more minutes, and I suddenly felt like we were have a starring competition.

He studied me seriously before asking his next question. ''Do you do that? Flirt with guys you don't like?''

I tilted my head to the side. I had learned this gesture from Dolly when I was little, and when asked a serious question, or when I was confused I would tilt my head.

I smiled. ''No Gaara. If I flirt with you I like you. I like you a _lot_ actually.''

He smirked, and I had to keep myself from staring at his lips. ''Thats good. I didn't think that you were that kind of girl, but I thought that I would make sure.''

I laughed, and he smirked again. I saw that he was going to say something else, but at the same time that he opened his mouth the clock that signified that it was time to get to work went off. The clock had been specially made for the purpose of the club, so the chimes were loud enough to sound over a few hundred people screaming at each other.

Instead of saying whatever he had been planning on saying, he grimaced, and covered one of his ears. Apparently he wasn't used to really loud sounds. I smirked and waited for the echo to die away, so he could hear me.

I smiled. ''We'll have to finish our conversation later. I have to go work now.''

I looked around for the ninjas, and noticed that the club wasn't as crowded as it would be tonight, though for someone that wasn't used to the crowd it looked packed.

I finally found Naruto, by following his loud voice, and pointed them out to Gaara.

''The others are over there, if you feel like joining them.''

I turned back to look at him. ''If you want my advice on staying in the corner or being with the others at a table, I would say be with the others. If the two girls catch you by yourself...''

I shook my head not wanting to complete the thought. He nodded.

''Are you the one taking orders at that table?''

I shook my head sadly.

''No, I'm upstairs. I don't know who is downstairs tonight. I'll just have to come, and sit with you guys during my breaks.''

I smiled up at him. ''I really do have to get to work now though. I'll see you later, okay?''

He nodded, and I ran off towards the stairs to start my shift.

That night had some interesting events. One of these being that I was extremely jealous of Yuki being the one to take Gaara's order. I was almost ragging when she pressed herself into his arm. The only satisfaction I got from that particular scene, was that Gaara gave her a glare so cold that it would have made a glacier look warm in comparison. She finally backed away from him, and pretty much ignored him the rest of the night.

I laughed as I noticed that apparently Mona decided that Sai was cute, and that she wanted to get to know him better.

Misa, who was upstairs with me, admitted that she liked Kankuro. I teased her relentlessly the rest of the night.

Though that stopped briefly when some jerk, who was drunk off his butt, grabbed Misa, and pulled her into his lap. That was interesting to deal with. He was so drunk, that he couldn't feel any pain.

Every time Misa would slap him, he would simply laugh, and pull her tighter to him. I finally had to step in. I told him that if he didn't let Misa go, that he would never be allowed back at Aubry's because he was harassing the waitress'.

He had laughed drunkenly, and asked if I was going to make him. I had nodded, and picked up one of the table knives, and shown it to him, saying that I would if I had too.

Apparently that got through the fog, and he pushed Misa off of his lap, before apologizing. He had left soon after that, staggering down the steps. I watched him go before placing the knife back down on the table, and turning to Misa.

''You should take a break. That's not the best thing to have on your mind while you work.''

She glared at me, which was more amusing then frightening. Before putting her hands on her hips and replying. ''I'll take a break when it's my time to take a break. Not before.''

I shook my head smiling. ''Alright Misa.''

She smiled at me, and nodded, before turning back to her tables.

My breaks were taken downstairs sitting at the table with the ninjas.

Excluding Sai, who had decided he wanted to be closer to Mona, and had gone to her side of the room. I laughed more then I was used to, while sitting with them. Naruto would do, or say something stupid, and that would make Sakura angry. Needless to say he had a few bumps and bruises before the night was over.

Gaara was quiet, but would smirk ever so often. I caught him looking at me a few times with a dazed expression on his face.

He confuses me. But then again, I'm confused a lot of the time so that's nothing new.

The rest of my shift was pretty much the normal. I didn't have to close that night so the ninjas stayed until I left.

Salem had been talking to a girl most of the night, and was going to walk her home. Sai was staying with Mona until she left, and then would come back to the house.

Kankuro had spent most of the night staring at Misa. He had noticed her when I had traded off with her so she could finally take a break. He had finally gotten the nerve to introduce himself, with a little, well a _big _push from Temari, who literally tripped him so that he would fall into poor Misa.

He was planning on coming back earlier the next day, so that he could spend some more time talking with her.

That was tomorrow, however, and for tonight we were all tired, and wanted our beds.

The walk home was interesting, with Naruto running, Sakura screaming at Naruto to _quit_ running. Kankuro practically skipping, Gaara glaring at Kankuro for skipping, and Temari sighing at her little brothers antics. And me thinking about how I had gotten myself mixed up with these crazy, but exciting people.

When we got back to the house the ninja's went to their own rooms, and I made sure Sora was inside before getting heading to mine.

I was pulling back the covers, preparing to fall into my bed, when I heard a soft thump on the roof. Now, you would think that since I had a house full of ninjas that one soft thump** w**ouldn't bother me. Well it did. Especially since this thump sounded like someone jumping _onto_ the roof. It was also very close to my room.

I opened the window, and stood at it hesitantly for a moment, before scrambling onto the roof, trying not to make any noise. While in my pajamas.

I stood up slowly, looking around in the darkness, and almost immediately finding someone with red hair sitting a few feet in front of me, with his back towards me. His face lifted towards the moon.

I had thought for a brief moment that Dolly had come to see me, but the eyes that turned my way were not a hard gray, but a vibrant aqua.

I walked closer to him, and hesitated, before I spoke though I wasn't sure why.

''Can I sit with you?''

I mentally kicked myself. This is _my_ roof! He shouldn't get to tell me if I could sit there ,or not. But I still waited for his reply.

He nodded slightly, and I sat a few inches away from him. We stared at the moon for a few moments in silence before he turned towards me.

''Ria?''

I turned to look at him, glad that he was the first to break the silence.

''Do you love Salem?''

I answered with out hesitation. ''Yes, of course I love Salem. He's one of my best friends.''

He shook hes head. ''No, I mean do you love him like...like...''

He seemed to be having trouble coming up with the word so I helped him out.

''Like a boyfriend?''

He nodded, and I shook my head.

''No. I love Salem as a friend, and as my adopted big brother, but I don't think that I could ever love him as more then that.''

It was quiet for a few minutes, before he spoke again. ''Do you love Naruto like a boyfriend?''

I began laughing, quietly. I couldn't help it. I mean Naruto for crying out loud!

'' No Gaara. Naruto is just a really good friend. From what he's told me there is a girl in his village that likes him, and I'm trying to convince him to go out with her. Is there a reason that your asking?''

He looked back at the moon, and I could see that he was contemplating about whether or not to tell me. Finally he nodded, speaking soflty, his eyes focused on the moon.

''Yes there's a reason.'' He looked back towards me. ''I...I think that I may be in love with you. Ive been watching you since we got here, and Ive never felt like this before. You don't have to tell me if you you feel the same way or not, I just wanted to tell you how I felt.''

He stopped, and I stayed silent. I felt the surprise on my face. I wasn't expecting a confession from him, wasn't this going to fast?

I knew that my silence was hurting him, but I just couldn't make my voice work. I saw him beginning to stand up, and I was somehow able to convince my arm to grab his sleeve.

He looked back at me surprised, and I held up a finger to tell him to give me a second.

He sat back down, and I took a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart. I was finally able to tell him what I wanted, even if it was still a bit breathless sounding.

I smiled, before speaking. ''I think I may be beginning to fall in love with you too. I know that I like you better then Ive liked anybody else. However, I don't think its right to say that you love me until you find out some things about me.''

I paused to take another breath. This would probably make him hate me but I would rather he hate me after knowing the truth, then love me without knowing the reality. I looked at the moon while I spoke, not having the courage to look at him.

''When I was little my parents died, and I was taken in by my Uncle, and Aunt.''

I continued to tell him my life story. Including some parts that I had never told anyone besides Dolly, and Salem. It was about Orochimaru, and why I disliked him so much.

When I was six years old, there had been an abundance of missions, and some of the time nobody was at home to watch me.

This made Dolly nervous, so he would normally leave me at Aubry's. One of these times however, I convinced him that I could take care of myself, and that I wanted to stay home. I made sure to mention that he was going to be home before anyone else, and that I would be okay.

He hesitated for a while but, I had, had a cold that week, and he was afraid that my traveiling in the chilly air would make it worse. So finally, he agreed. He told me that if anyone besides Weasel and Kisame got home before he did to stay in my room, or better yet in _his_ room. I told him that I would, and he gave me one last look before he left.

I spent most of my time in my room, reading, sleeping, or making up games to keep me entertained.

A few hours later though, my stomach had began growling at me. I made my way towards the kitchen listening for any sign that someone was back.

When I got to the kitchen I peaked around the corner to make sure that no one was there, and with a sigh of relief made my way inside to make myself a sandwich. I was almost finished when I caught a glimmer of something by the doorway.

I glanced up, thinking that it was just my imagination but instead of an empty doorway I saw Orochimaru watching me. He scared me. Out of all the members he was the one that I always avoided. If Dolly or Weasel left the room that I was in and Orochimaru appeared out of wherever he appeared from, I would sneak out.

This time however, I was trapped. He was blocking the only exit. I ignored him, and finished making my sandwich as fast as possible, with him glaring at me the entire time. I picked up my plate, and began walking past him.

I thought he had let me walk by him for a second, before I felt a cold hand close around my arm.

He began dragging me in the opposite direction of my room. He was dragging me towards the door. It was then that I noticed that he was covered from head to foot in blood. Like he had taken a bath in it.

He turned and smiled at me which mad my skin crawl. ''I think its time you learned what really happen at the Akatsuki. I'm sick of Sasori making you think that its a fun place. Were killers, not some child's babysitters. This is a place where death is the only mercy we give.''

He licked his lips. ''And I'm going to show you how we torture someone that lies to us.''

I had been struggling to get free as soon as I felt his hand clamp down on my arm, but I doubled my effort after hearing his last statement. I finally decided that desperate times called for desperate measures, and I bit a chunk out of his hand, ignoring the taste of blood that filled my mouth.

He yelped, and released my arm to cradle his hand.

I took that chance to run. I ran past my room knowing that he would find me easily in there. I ran to Dolly's, and locked the door behind me.

I was good at hiding, Dolly even had trouble finding me sometimes, but there wasn't many places to hide in such a scarcely furnished room.

I looked around hurridly, and finally decided that I would hide in the closet with the puppets, and their spare parts. If I was lucky he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between me, and the puppets.

I opened the door, and buried myself under the junk, some of the things on the shelves falling on me in my haste to make myself unnoticeable. This sufficiently hid mefrom plain view.

I worked on trying to calm my breathing. If there was one thing that would give me away it would be a harsh breathe.

I listened as the door rattled, and shook, praying that Dolly would be home soon. That was as long as I had to hold out. Until Dolly got home.

I was beginning to calm down when the door opened. I had to remind myself to breathe calmly, and not make a noise.

I heard him walking around the room, and then papers rattling. I heard the chair move away from the desk. Even in my current situation I couldn't help but scoff at the obviousness of that hiding place. What? Was he going to look under the bed now?

Sure enough a few seconds later I heard the sheets rattling. I heard him pace the room muttering. Maybe he forgot about the closet. I held my breath hoping that he would leave. I heard him chuckling, and the sound sent a fearful shiver down my spin.

''I know you're in here somewhere. I saw you run this way, and since you can't use any jutsus I know it wasn't a substitution, or a clone. You might as well come out now. It's really no use hiding, I _will _find you. I promise I won't kill you if you come out now. If you don't however,and you continue to hide I will have no choice but to punish you.''

Ha! _If_ you can find me you slimmy snake man.

''All I want to do is show you what we do in the Akatsuki. It will be fun. Like a game.''

Yeah, but I don't want to play your games. You torture, and kill people in your games. I laid there, under a pile of puppets, and their parts, waiting for the closet door to open. It never did.

I sometimes thought that he had left, but then I would here muffled movements or words.

At one point he tried to transform himself into Dolly, but I knew that Dolly would know where to find me, so I didn't move from my hiding place.

I finally realized that he wasn't going to open the closet, and my eyelids became heavy and I fell asleep. I didn't find out until later that Orochimaru had known that I was in the closet, but that he would never open the door. Even if it would have cost him his life he would never, ever open the puppet masters closet door. Even the Snake man was scarred of Dolly's puppets.

The next time I opened my eyes I was confused as to where I was.

I was in complete darkness, and the scent in the darkness didn't match the one in my room. It smelt more like Dolly. And then I remembered that I was hiding from Orochimaru in Dolly's closet, buried under tons of junk.

I heard the papers that had been constantly rustling outside the closet stop, and my breath hitched in my throat. I heard the chair creak, and footsteps coming towards the closet. They stopped outside the door , and then a streak of light flooded the dark closet.

I stayed still, hoping that he wouldn't see me, or just think that I was another puppet. No such luck. I felt things being shifted off of me, before I was picked up.

I struggled as best I could, but it wasn't doing any good. I finally caught sight of red hair, and noticed that the arms that restrained me were gentle. I stopped moving, and looked up into Dolly's gray eyes that were looking emotionless at me, and I busted into tears, burying my face into his chest.

I hadn't cried since my parents had died. Not when my Aunt beat me, not when I would get hurt, or when I would get hurt. But here I was sobbing into the front of Dolly's Akatsuki cloak.

He held me to him, rocking me back and forth, after he had sat down in the chair again, gently caressing my tangled hair. After what seemed like ages I stopped crying, and just laid against Dolly's chest. He didn't stop what he was doing. Even when he began asking me questions, he continued his soothing motions.

''Did you get some sleep today?''

I nodded, waiting for him to get to the important questions.

''Did you finish the book that Zetsu wanted you to read?''

I shook my head. I had forgotten about the book. I waited holding my breath.

''Are you going to tell me what you were doing in my closet?''

I sighed, there was the hard question. I didn't answer right away. When I had finally found my voice, I began to haltingly, and clumsily tell him what had happened after he left. He listened patiently.

He stayed calm for the most part, and my voice only cracked twice.

Dolly's face didn't change, and he never quit rocking me, or running his fingers soothingly through my hair. The only reason I was able to tell he was upset was that his body stiffened for a few seconds before he caught himself and relaxed.

''So you haven't eaten anything at all today, have you?''

I shook my head, and he stood up, with me still in his arms.

''Then lets go get you something to eat.''

He carried me into the room that everybody hung out in. I had always called it the living room, though I was always corrected that it was just a room that people relaxed in.

Dolly sat me down in between Weasel, and Die, who were both on the couch. They both looked at Dolly, then at me, then at each other, and then back to me.

Weasel put his arm around my shoulders, and Die started telling me about what pretty things he had seen that day, and about the new hairstyles he wanted to try out. He was still talking when there was a loud bang from the kitchen. Like something had hit the ground, hard.

Die and Weasel shot a glance at each other, before Weasel got up to investigate. As soon as Weasel got up I heard Orochimaru's voice from the kitchen, and shuddered. Die had replaced Weasels arm around my shoulders, and now pulled me closer to him.

A few minutes later Weasel came back into the room,and flopped down on the couch. Die gave him a questioningly look, and I saw look down at me before shaking his head slightly. Die got the signal, and continued talking.

A few minutes later Dolly came into the room, with a huge sandwich, some chocolate milk, and a cookie. I scarfed everything down, and then Dolly took me back to his room. He sat me down on his bed before speaking.

''Id rather you slept in here tonight. I want to keep an eye on you.''

I nodded, and crawled under the covers. I hadn't changed out of my pajamas that day, not planning on going anywhere. So I laid in Dolly's bed and after a few minutes fell asleep.

I had nightmares that night, but Dolly was always there to wake me up.

I didn't find out until years later when I had asked Weasel about what had happened in the kitchen that Dolly had thrown Orochimaru against the wall, and threatened him saying, that if he ever came near me again that Orochmaru wouldn't need to worry about finding a new body, because Dolly would personally make sure that he was so torn to pieces, and buried so deep in the ground, that no one would be able to find him and put him back together again.

By the next week Orochimaru was gone.

I let this sink in before I continued telling Gaara about my life, up to where Naruto had shown up with him, and the other ninjas.

I stopped, finishing my story, and still gazing up at the moon. I was waiting for him to stand up, and rush inside to tell every one that they were leaving. He didn't.

He just sat there staring at me. I finally found the courage to look at him. I noticed that his eyes were kind, not harsh or condemning.

''Thank you for telling me Ria. I would like to meet your Dolly, and Die on better conditions then I did before.''

I stared at him, stunned.

''You're not angry?''

He shook his head. ''Why would I be angry?''

I shrugged. ''Because two people in my adopted family almost succeeded in killing you. That would make _most_ people angry.''

He smiled softly. ''Well, as you can see I don't act like _most_ people, and if were being technical, they _did_ succeed in killing me.''

I tilted my head. ''But, your not dead now.''

He shook his head. ''Sasori's grandmother helped me with that. If not for her I would _still_ be dead.''

He shot me a sheepish glance. ''With my background I really have no right to judge people with what they do.''

I smiled at him. ''Thank you, Gaara.''

He looked at me. ''So now that you have explained all of this to me, and I've accepted it, can I tell you that I love you?''

I looked at him startled. ''After all I told you, you still love me?''

He smiled at me. ''As a matter of fact, I think I love you more now that I know what you have gone through. Its _you_, I think that wont love _me_ after I tell you what Ive done.''

He looked down sadly. I grabbed his hand that was closest to me, and held it. I smiled encouragingly at him.

''Well we still have a few hours till sunrise. Lets hear it.''

He looked back at me, and nodded. Then he began to tell me his story, and I made sure that the entire time, that I held tightly to his hand.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Naruto.

Before he was even born, he had a sand spirit named Shukaku put inside his body. Causing his mother to die when she was giving birth to him. So even before he was out of the womb he had killed someone.

He grew up spoiled, getting whatever he desired.

This caused him to think that getting what he wanted was love. When he got older, and it became obvious to his father that he would never be in complete control of the sand spirit, he began sending assassins in an attempt to destroy his own son, therefore destroying the creature within him.

This included Gaara's uncle, who had taken care of the young boy, and convinced Gaara that he loved him. This uncle soon showed his trued purpose, and attempted to kill Gaara. In defeat he had blown himself up, in a final attempt to destroy his youngest nephew.

Gaara's sand shielded him from the explosion, however, saving him from facing the same death as his uncle.

When the smoke had cleared, and the sand had gone back to its dormant state, a sad, hurt and angry Gaara was left behind. He knew at that moment that nobody had really ever loved him, and thought that nobody ever would. He decided then that he would love only himself. He would never put himself in the position to be emotionally hurt by someone again.

He made the sand put the kanji for love on his forehead, letting everyone that saw him know that he held love only for himself. Which he had, until a few years ago when he met Naruto in the chunin exams.

His fight with Naruto had caused him to reconsider his life, and his decision to kill people to make himself feel alive. After losing the battle, and obtaining a few major injuries, he began to think hard about what Naruto had said, and he decided to begin repenting for his past actions.

He tried his best to keep Shukaku under control, and instead of killing innocent people he fought to protect them.

A few years after the Chunin exams he became the Kazekage, thinking that this would be the most sufficient way to help his people.

Gaara completed his story, and looked at me, his eyes sad.

''See? Compared to what I've done you're an angel.''

I smiled comfortingly. ''Gaara, your really to hard on yourself.''

His expression became confused, and I sighed.

''You _did_ choose to kill those people, though in my opinion, when it came to the assassins you didn't have much of a choice, and some of the other circumstances were forced on you. Like having Shukaku put inside of you, you didn't choose that for yourself.

And as for you killing your Uncle? You didn't do that. He blew _himself_ up.''

He swallowed. ''You don't think that I'm a monster?''

I shook my head smiling softly. ''I think your a good person, not a monster. I know people that have done _worse_ then you have, and they have no intention of trying to make it right.''

I paused, and looked into his eyes. ''Gaara, the guys that raised me were in the Akatsuki. I love them, and I don't judge them for what they have done in their pasts. So I'm not going to judge you for what _you've _done. That would make me a hypocrite, and I have no desire to be classified as _that.''_

He looked at me shocked.

I took the time that he was silent to notice that it had gotten extremely cold during our time on the roof. I shivered, snapping Gaara out of his silent thinking. He looked at me worried.

''Do you want to go back inside?''

I shook my head, thinking of something that I would like better.

I scooted closer to him, and leaned my head on his chest. He stiffened for a moment and I had the brief thought that he might push me away. I gave him a second to adjust, before looking up at him. He had a confused look on his face, like he didn't know what he was supposed to do.

I giggled, and he looked down at me, giving me a sheepish smile. I grabbed his arm, and wrapped it around me. He caught on, and copied the move, wrapping his other arm around me.

I wasn't able to see him now, since I had my back to him with his arms securing me in place, but I felt the tension leave his limbs, and he relaxed, as he held me.

''Are you alright with this?''

I didn't want to push him, and I knew he wasn't used to the close contact. He didn't answer for a few minutes, and I wondered if he had fallen asleep sitting up.

I was about to turn so I could see his face, when he spoke.

''Yes, this is fine. It feels nice. But I really don't have any idea as to what I'm doing. I've never done anything like this. Its strange.''

I laughed softly. ''Don't worry. I'll help you learn as best as I can. And who knows, you may find that you know more then you think.''

I didn't know if this made any sense to him, but I was to tired to elaberate.

With his arms around me, and listening to his heartbeat, I was slowly falling to sleep. The last thing that I remember of being conscious was him shifting slightly, before speaking.

''Ria? I love you.''

I smiled, as I replied. ''I love you too Gaara.''

A moment later sleep claimed me.

I woke up the next morning lying in my bed snuggled up to Gaara's chest.

I noticed that my hands had tangled themselves in his shirt while I slept. So if he had wanted to leave he would have had to pry my hands away from him.

I smiled. Apparently I hadn't wanted him to leave me.

I looked up and noticed that Gaara was sleeping. He looked slightly childish. His face wasn't guarded, or hurt. It was open, soft. And completely adorable.

I relaxed my hands that were still in their death grip, and winced as I flexed them. They were sore from being tense all night.

I noticed that Gaara's arms had wrapped around me, as he slept. One was pillowing my head, and the other was still around my waist, holding me close to him. For someone that wasn't used to physical contact, he sure was holding me tight.

I tried to muffle my laughter, but a stray giggle escaped. His eyes flew open instantly, and he looked down at me, confusion evident in his aqua gaze. I saw comprehension dawn in his eyes as he remembered all that had happened the night before.

He suddenly seemed to notice how close together we were.

He blushed a deep red, the color rivaling his hair, and tried to untangle us from each other. Though it turned out that Gaara wasn't very graceful when he just wakes up. His muscles were stiff, and weren't really listening to the commands his brain was sending them.

So when he tried moving the arm that was on my waist, instead of it releasing me, it jerked, and that pushed me harder into him, pressing me tightly into Gaara's body.

I looked up at him, and saw his eyes dart frantically from one thing in my room to another. It was like he was scared.

I wiggled a little bit, so that I was eye level with him. Though his panicked eyes wouldn't turn my way. They finally settled on the ceiling.

I bit my lip, hesitantly.

''Gaara?''

He didn't even acknowledge that I had spoken, so I spoke a little louder.

''Gaara?''

He still didn't respond, and I huffed, knowing that he was listening. He had to be, he was laying right beside me, so I continued.

''Gaara, whatever it is, it's alright. I don't know whats wrong, but surely it can't be that bad.''

He looked at me, his eyes pleading.

''I tried to get you to let go of me last night. So I could put you in your bed. You just wouldn't let go. So I thought that it would be okay for me to stay with you, until you let me go. But I must have fallen asleep. I'm sorry.''

I stared at him, confused. ''Gaara why are you apologizing?''

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and turning a glare at the ceiling.

''I heard you sob. You tried to muffle it, but that's what woke me up. I'm not a very deep sleeper, and I heard you.''

He swallowed, before continuing. ''You must have changed your mind about last night. I would understand. Really I would.''

I frowned at him. He thought that I had been crying?

He looked back towards me. ''Thats why I was so frantic to let go of you. I didn't want to put you in a position that you didn't want to be in. But then my arms did the opposite, and Ria I'm so sorry.''

He had such a pained expression on his face that it made me sad.

I somehow got my arms free, and grabbed his face in between my hands. I wanted to make sure he heard me.

''Gaara I was _not_ crying, I was trying to muffle my _laughter_. I didn't want to wake you up. You looked so peaceful. And as for changing my mind: I haven't. And I like you holding me. It's nice, and sweet, and hesitant, and I _love_ it. So you don't have to worry about whether its okay to hold me. Its fine, and if I ever change my mind about that or my wanting to be with you, I promise, you'll be the first to know.''

I paused noticing that I was practically on top of him. I had started out beside him, but I guess as the speech got more intense I had moved.

I felt a blush heating my face, and quickly moved so that I was back beside him. His eyes followed me curiously, and I could tell that he had no idea why I was blushing. Which was fine.

I turned, slightly. Looking at the clock on my was eleven in the morning.

I looked back to Gaara, who was still puzzling about my blush.

''Will your siblings be worried about you? They're probably already awake, and outside.''

Gaara smiled. ''No, they never really worry about me. I can take care of myself most of the time.''

I smiled teasingly at him. ''So they wont come banging on my door, screaming that I have corrupted their baby brother?''

Gaara smirked. ''No, they won't say anything. Kankuro is completely oblivious to anyone besides himself, and I think Temari already knows. She came to talk to me yesterday, before I went to the roof.''

I stared at him, suddenly interested. ''Really?''

He nodded. ''She was the one that told me to talk to you. I was going to anyways, but she wanted me to hurry. She can be very inpatient sometimes.''

I laughed, and snuggled back into his chest. I knew that I would have to get up soon, but for a few more minutes I wanted to lay in Gaara's arms, and be held.

A few minutes later Gaara insisted on climbing out my window, instead of using the door like a normal person would. I told him that it would be easier to use the bedroom door, but he was determined that it wouldn't and that the window to _his_ room was right next to mine.

It took me a few moments, after he left, to understand that if Naruto, or Kankuro saw him come out of my room that they would tease him endlessly about it.

So I nodded, and told him to be careful. He smiled at me,and I realized that I had just sounded like a complete idiot. Telling an elite ninja, to be careful, when he probably climbed on the roofs of houses all the time.

I sighed when Gaara had left, deciding that I wanted a shower.

As I let the hot water run over me I began to wonder what I was going to do after Sasuke was found. Gaara would go back to the sand village, and what would I do? If he asked me to, would I go back with him?

This was the place were I had grown up. Mostly.

Dolly, Weasel, and Die all lived close by. And then there was Niko, and the twins. I couldn't really leave them.

And Aubry. What would he say if I wanted to leave? I didn't have to think long on that. It would simply be 'no'. No arguments.

I sighed, irritated at myself. I was worrying, and that wasn't going to get me any answers. I knew that. All worrying got me was sick, and I had heard people say that it gave you wrinkles. I didn't want either. So I convinced my mind to think of something else as I got out of the shower.

When I had dressed, I walked into the kitchen, expecting Salem to be there eating. He wasn't. I shrugged. Maybe he stayed the night at that girls house. He's never liked walking in the dark by himself.

It was weird. He can control darkness, but ever since that stuff with killing his family he refuses to go out in the dark by himself. Not that I blame him. Killing your family can be a dramatic experience. Or so I had heard, from Weasel.

He had killed his entire clan except for his crazy little brother. Who was the very reason that I had a house full of ninjas.

I stopped suddenly, and tilted my head. Maybe Weasel would know where Sasuke was. He had told me that he had been keeping tabs on the kid while Weasel was in that Akatsuki. As far as I knew that informer was still there. It looked like I was taking a walk.

I made my way outside and told Naruto where I was doing, and he said that he wanted to tag along.

I shrugged, not minding and he ran off to tell Sakura that I might know someone who would know where Sasuke was.

I saw her face lite up, and I thought she might start squeal happily.

I looked around the yard, but didn't see Gaara anywhere. He must still be in his room. I also didn't see Sai anywhere so he must still be at Mona's.

I looked back to the side as I caught a sight of pink, and noticed that Sakura had was talking excitedly to Temari. She must be telling her the news.

I touched Naruto's arm, to get his attention, leading us towards Weasel's house.

Naruto was strangely quiet as we talked, looking at the scenery. I had forgotten how breathtaking the farmland was to someone who hadn't seen it before.

Dolly's house soon come into view, and I pointed it out to Naruto, with a smile.

''I'm going to stop there on the way back.''

Naruto nodded. ''Who lives there?''

I chuckled. ''Dolly, of course.''

He studied the house for a moment, before turning back to me.

''I would have thought that he lived in something a little creepier. The last time that I saw him, he was living in a cave.''

I laughed, and shook my head. ''I don't think Rosa would have been happy about living in a cave with him.''

A few minutes later I saw Weasels house come into view, and pointed.

''There's Weasels home''

I had barely finished before saw Weasels house now, and pointed.

I had barely finished speaking before Naruto went full ninja on me, and sprinted towards the house. I followed a lot slower. I didn't want to rush, and the only reason I would, was so I could go see Dolly sooner.

I got to the door to find Naruto standing there impatiently.

I smiled, and knocked on the door, hearing a commotion from inside.

A few seconds later the door opened and I looked down to see a pair of blue eyes. Soon after that a pair of black eyes settled beside the blue.

Riku, and Miku squealed excitedly when they saw me, and hugged me simultaneously, almost knocking me over.

Then they saw Naruto. Miku screamed, and literally threw herself at Naruto's legs. Riku aimed for his waist, and down Naruto went.

I laughed, and looked back towards the door, finding that Weasel now stood blocking it. He was looking down at the three people in the dirt, an amused expression on his face.

He looked back towards me, and motioned for me to come inside, before he turned away. I followed him, leaving Naruto to other mercy of the twins. I walked into the living room, and found Dani on the couch, a small bump forming at her stomach.

I had known for sometime that she was pregnant again, but it always surprised me to see that bump at her midsection. She saw me enter the room and smiled.

''Hello Ria. If I had known you were coming I would have made some tea.''

I smiled back, slightly amused. Tea was the only thing that involved Dani, and the stove. She was trained to be a warrior, not a cook.

So either Weasel cooked for all of them, or more often then not, took them to the market place to eat. ''Thats alright. I really just need to ask your husband a question anyways.''

Her smile vanished, and a panicked expression replaced it.

''Whats wrong?''

I sighed. Leave it to Dani to jump to the conclusion that something was wrong.

I smiled at her, trying to be comforting. ''Nothing really. I just have a question, and I think he might have an answer. If he doesn't then I'll go ask Dolly. I was planning on making a stop by his house anyways.''

She sighed, and relaxed into the couch again.

''So this has nothing to do with us personally?''

I paused, not really knowing how to answer. It WAS about Weasels brother.

'' Well...It's nothing Bad. Or life threatening.'' She looked at me curiously, before nodding, and leaning her head against the back of the couch. She closed her eyes, and I sighed.

She really needed to quit overreacting. She would hurt the baby.

I turned around to find Weasel standing close behind me. I gasped, and he smirked, motioning for me to follow him.

We walked into the kitchen, and I could see through one of the windows that Naruto, and the twins were playing tag. Naruto was 'it'.

We watched them play for a few minutes before I broke the silence.

''Hey Weasel.''

He grimaced at his nickname, but replied anyways. ''Hello, Ria. What can I do for you?.

I shrugged. ''I know you were keeping track of Sasuke while you were in the Akatsuki, but do you still? Keep track of him I mean?''

He nodded, and didn't take hiseyes off of his children as they played.

''Yes. I still have a reliable informer who is keeping an eye on Sasuke's activities.''

He looked at me curiously, and I paused before asking my next question.

''Can you tell me where he is?''

It was silent for a few seconds, and he asked a question of his own, without answering mine.

''Is that why Naruto is here? To find Sasuke?''

I nodded. ''Yeah. Him, and a few other ninja's.''

He turned towards me. ''Then I probably need to tell you what I know.''

He paused, taking a breath. ''I don't know Sasuke's exact location, but I _do_ know that he is heading for Konoha.''

My look must have been confused, because Weasel stopped a moment to smirk, before he continued. ''He blames the leaf village for the destruction of our clan. Even though I was the one to carry out the orders, it was the village council that gave me the orders. And since the people follow the council, Sasuke is planning on destroying the entire village. Mainly to feel the pain, and sadness that he has felt for most of his life.''

I took a minute to think this over before speaking again.

''Your brother. Needs a friggan girlfriend! Dang! The boy has too much time on his hands to plan his revenge!''

Weasel laughed at my outburst.

''You're right. If he had a girlfriend, and maybe a few kids, there would hardly be time for sleep, much less for revenge. But thats what he has lived on for years; Avenging his clan.''

I crossed my arms, still upset.

''Yeah, well he needs a new hobby.''

He smiled at me, before turning back towards the window. Naruto was now lying on the ground while the twins climbed over him.

I sighed. Oh it was going to be fun telling all this to Naruto. I thanked Weasel for telling me, and after telling, him, and Dani, goodbye, went outside to tell Naruto.


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own Naruto.

As Naruto, and I began walking home I noticed that he was scowling, and I sighed deeply.

I knew that the ninjas would now be leaving. They had no reason to stay. They knew where Sasuke was heading, and they had to prepare the leaf village for the oncoming battle.

This would mean that Gaara would have to leave sooner then I had been expecting. I saw Dolly's house come into view, and I turned to ask Naruto if he could find his way home alone. He nodded.

''Yeah. And I can make it back faster if I don't have you to slow me down.''

I laughed, and made a waving motion with my hand.

''Go on then. I'll see you later.''

He smiled, and suddenly ran off.

I shook my head, a smile on his face, and slowly made my way off the road, and to the house. As I reached the house the door instantly opened, and I found a human body barring my entrance.

I looked up into the persons face, and was greeted by gray eyes. I smiled.

''Hi Dolly.''

I saw the gray eyes soften, and he smirked.

He opened his arms invitingly, and I threw myself into them. He held me like that for a moment, before pulling me inside, and to the living room.

I plopped down into the familiar arm chair, and Dolly sat across from me in his favorite recliner.

He smirked.

''So how are all those ninjas that are loitering in your house?''

I laughed. Dolly always asked his questions from least to most important. I always enjoyed hearing what that first question was going to be.

''The usual. Training, arguing with each other, eating all the food in the house, sleeping, and then more training.''

Dolly chuckled.

''I know that Naruto is there. I sensed his chakura before he ran off. Who else are you harbouring?''

I shrugged.

Second questions were always harder to answer. And you wouldn't think that this would be a difficult question, but with Dolly's past it felt like I was allowing the enemy to stay in my home.

''Well there's Naruto's teammates: Sakura, and Sai.''

I saw him frown slightly, and knew that he remembered her.

''Then there's the siblings from Suna: Temari, Kankuro, and...''

I stopped not wanting to mention Gaara. I knew that it would bring up more memories. More then Sakura's name had.

But of course Dolly was looking at me expectantly, so I finished my sentence.

''Suna's Kazekage.''

I stopped. Dolly had gone very still.

We sat in silence for a few moments, before Dolly cleared his throat, and began speaking again.

''I thought that was him.''

He had spoken more to himself then to me, but still answered my unspoken question, when he saw the confusion on my face.

''I was at Aubry's briefly last night. I had some business that I needed to discuss with him. When I was leaving I thought that I saw the Kazekage, but I wasn't for certain, until now.''

I stared at him, an annoyed expression on my face.

'' You were at Aubry's last night, and you didn't come see me?''

He smiled. '' I saw you a few times when you were talking with Naruto. You looked happy, and I didn't want to disturb you. I like to see you enjoying yourself.''

I smiled. I never could stay mad at Dolly for long.

My smile faded preparing for his third question.

The third questions were normally hard to answer. So I waited, preparing myself.

''The ninjas are here about Itachi's brother.''

This wasn't a question, but I nodded anyways.

''Then I suppose that you went to Itachis already to ask him about Sasukes whereabouts. And of course Itachi would tell you what you wanted to know. That would mean that you told Naruto, and he ran off to the the others. They will be leaving soon. So my question is: will you go with them?''

I flinched. Brutal question number three.

The problem with this question, was I didn't know the answer myself. I looked at Dolly, and though his face remained expressionless I knew that he was upset. He would be be extremely depressed if I left. I shook my head.

''I don't know Dolly. I don't want to leave. I like being this close to everyone. But there is a...complication that I didn't expect.''

I stopped, sighing Here it came, the almost impossible to answer fourth question.

I was looking into Dolly's eyes, and saw that they were alert.

''Ria are you in love with one of them?''

I wasn't expecting this question, and the way that Dolly was looking at me made me feel very guilty. Like I needed his permission before I fell in love.

I lifted my head defiantly, and looked into his eyes.

''Yes Dolly. I fell in love...With the Kazakage. And he loves me too.''

I stood up, and glared at him, daring him to say something negative. He didn't. He surprised me, and began laughing.

I stared at him in surprise. In all my life I had heard Dolly laugh maybe three times counting this.

Dolly walked over to me, and hugged me tightly.

He was still chuckling as he spoke.

''There's nothing wrong with that dearheart. I just don't want you to get hurt. And I have to admit that I'm slightly jealous. I've been the only person that you have told your problems to for so long that sharing that with another person irritates me more then I ever thought that it would.''

I smiled, and looked up at him.

''Dolly I will always come to you with my problems. That's never going to change. No matter what.''

He smiled, and kissed my forehead.

''Well, that's alright then. As long as I'm still with you, and he makes you happy I'll accept it.''

I laughed and just stood there. It was nice having Dolly hold me again like a five year old child.

A few minutes later, I remembered that no one else was in the house.

''Dolly, where's Niko, and Rosa?''

He stiffened, and released me returning to his seat.

I stayed standing as he spoke.

''Rosa went shopping, taking Niko with her.''

I knew he wasn't telling me the entire story, so I walked over to him and stared at him until he looked at me. Once I had his attention, I spoke.

''Dolly whats wrong?''

He sighed, leaning back against the cushions.

''I told Rosa that you were coming over when I felt your chakura pass as by. When she heard this, she decided that she would take Niko shopping.''

He looked at me exasperated.

''I don't understand why she is so jealous of you.''

It was my turn to sigh, and I returned to my seat, tiredly.

''She thinks you love me more then her.''

Rosa., and I had never been on good terms. Not even when she had first arrived.

It was as if, as soon as she saw me she felt an instant hatred.

At one point, I had needed help with something, and I can't even remember now what it was, but all three of the guys had come running.

This made Rosa angry, and she began to fake an illness, that made her to weak to move. She would cry and beg Dolly not to leave her alone, because she was weak, and unable to get away if something were to happen.

Even when Dolly insisted that everything was safe in this village, she would go into hysterics. Which of course could seriously injure the unborn child that she carried.

So Dolly stayed with her. Catering to whatever need she had.

He was miserable. At one point, I came over to give him a break. I had already fought with Rosa multiple times, but I didn't want Dolly to be upset so I put my issues with her aside, and relieved him for a few hours.

He of course couldn't leave the house completely, because Rosa wouldn't allow that, but he could relax without her bothering him.

A few hours after I had gotten there, she finally lost her control. She started yelling that Dolly belonged to _her_. And if I wanted to live, then I needed to stay away from him, and quit wasting his time with my presence.

I had heard this speech a lot from her, and blew it off. She noticed my lack of response, and switched to a different tactic, saying that I was a burden to him. That he would love this baby more then he had ever loved me. I wasn't his flesh, and blood but this baby would be.

So as soon as the baby was born he was going to start focusing on his true family. Not his adopted one. She said that he would forget about us. That we were just a shadow of something real.

When she was finished with her rant, I was so angry that I was having trouble not hitting her.

I had to remind myself that the baby might get injured, and that he was innocent of all this. I also didn't want to give her the satisfaction of playing the victim.

I could hear her explaining what had happened to Dolly in my head. She would be sobbing, and holding her stomach. ''She hit me Sasori. She doesn't want me to have this baby. Shes just so jealous of your time. Why do you think she wants to be with you all the time? She wants to keep you to herself. Shes such a selfish girl. And she acts so much like a boy. You shouldn't have raised her. You should have found a nice _woman _to take care of her. Having all of you men in her life without one female to show her how to behave. It's no wonder that she runs around with boys like that Salem.''

I had to stop thinking about it after that. I was just making myself angrier, and I was going to control my temper for the babies sake.

I had continued taking care of her for the rest of the day. Pretending not to hear any of the insults, or threats that she was throwing at me.

When the baby was born I was afraid that she had been right, and that Dolly would forget about me afterwards. I know now that that was one of the stupidest thoughts that I had ever had but I had been thirteen at that time, and very unsure of myself.

Once the baby was born, Dolly came to get me. He took me to a room where Rosa was laying holding a bundle of blue cloth. He walked over to the bedside, and took the baby from Rosa.

I saw Rosa smile, and give me a confident look. I remember that look falling off her face, and how her eyes filled with hate when Dolly laid the bundle in my arms.

She was sneering at me, while I looked down at the babies face. Dolly was watching me hold the baby, and so missed any expression that distorted the angry womans features.

I turned my attention towards Dolly when he began speaking, forgetting Rosa for a moment.

''His name is Niko.''

I looked back down at the baby, and studied his face.

He had red hair like Dolly's. He was asleep, and I noticed that the only thing that he seemed to have received from his mother were her long eyelashes.

I raised my head to smile at Dolly, as I spoke.

''He's adorable.''

Dolly smiled back. ''I'm glad that you think that. He's my son, and therefore your brother, though I have a feeling that he will think of you as more of an aunt rather then a sister. ''

He turned towards Rosa, who was trying to cover up her anger.

''You agree don you not Rosa? That Niko will most likely think of Ria as an aunt rather then his older sister.''

I saw the confidence that had been left in Rosa's eyes disappear instantly.

Dolly still considered me as his daughter, and was trying to figure out how Niko would view me. He was perfectly content to let things stay the way they were.

Ever since that day Rosa had tried her hardest to avoid me.

Now she was pregnant again, and I knew that she was hopping for a girl. She was thinking that having a girl would replace me, since Niko didn't.

I sighed. Dolly had never been told any of the stuff that had happened between Rosa and I, though I know he guesses. He tries now to keep Rosa at a distance from Weasel, Die, and I. She's clingy, and Dolly had always hated that. He had told Die, once that she wasn't like that before he brought her to meet us. Then she became obsessive over having him close to her.

Dolly now looked at me thoughtfully.

''You know, if I was still in the Akatsuki this wouldn't be a problem.''

I tilted my head to the side, confused. ''Why not, Dolly?''

He smirked. ''I could just kill her, and not have any regrets. Well after the baby is born of course. Even I'm not so cold as to kill my own child.''

He tilted his head and smiled at me.

I laughed as soon as I recognized the gestures. Dolly had raised me so I knew I had caught on to some of his habits.

I had some of Die's and Weasels too. My hair would fall into one of my eyes like Die's, and sometimes I would catch myself letting my face become expressionless, but it was only with Dolly that I could see what it looked like when I tilted my head.

Dolly looked at me questioningly, and I explained.

''I have the habit of tilting my head to the side when I am listening intently, or thinking about something important. And I just realized how funny it looks when I saw you do the same thing a few seconds ago.''

I laughed again, and Dolly smiled back at me.

I stayed at Dolly's for awhile longer. I had always been able to talk to Dolly for hours. And with Rosa gone we were able to do so uninterrupted.

I could tell him trivial, or important stuff, and he would listen to it the same way with each. I laughed each time he tilted his head to concentrate, and he smiled each time he caught me doing the same movement.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Naruto.

It was starting to get dark when I decided that I needed to get home. I had spent most of the days at Dolly's. And Rosa would be getting home at any minute, and I wanted to be out of the house before then.

Though I would have loved to see Niko, that would come at a price that I wasn't willing to pay tonight. So I hugged Dolly goodbye, and started walking home. I was hopping that I would make it home before nightfall.

Though the countryside was beautiful in sunlight there were some creepy things that roamed around at night. And not all of them were animal. Though they sometimes smelt like it.

I increased my pace a little bit. I could take care of myself, but that still didn't stop the eerie feeling of something hiding in the trees, or grass.

Just as the last rays of light were sinking into the horizon, I caught sight of my house. I breathed a sigh of relief, as I walked the rest of the way home.

As I got closer I realized that almost every light in the house was turned on. That wasn't normal. Salem was a huge conservative, and threw a colossal fit if you left a light on in a room that you had left. The ninjas must be packing to leave.

As I walked into the house, I noticed that I was right about them packing. They were running around the house like bugs. Scattering here, and there, trying to get everything ready to leave before daybreak.

As I watched from the safe distance of the front door, Kankuro and Sai collided into each other with a loud smack. I grimaced, but used the lack of running to pick my way towards the stairs. It was like an obstical course.

Clothing and weapons were thrown everywhere. And they were running at super speed up and down the stairs... I stayed as close to the wall as possible.

I finally made it to my bedroom without injury, and I watched the ninjas for a few more seconds , before opening the door to my bedroom.

I looked into a pitch black room, and thought that my room had to be the only room that didn't have a light on. I decided to fix that. I flipped the switch, and I discovered that someone was sitting on my bed enjoying the quiet.

I smirked, and began walking towards him. Gaara turned to look at me before he began speaking.

''Yours was the only room in this entire house that didn't have people running in and out of it.''

I smiled, and crawled in next to him.

I leaned against him, and he put his arms around me, holding me to him.

''Can I ask you what you did today?''

I nodded. ''I went to Weasels, and then to Dolly's. Weasel was the one that gave me the information about Sasuke, and I went to Dolly's just to talk to him.''

Gaara nodded, his face serious. He wouldn't look at me as he asked his next question.

''Could you tell me the next time that you go somewhere? I looked all over the house for you, and didn't find out until Naruto got back that you had been with him. Then you didn't come back for hours after he did.''

He still refused to look at me. Even when I began speaking.

''Where you worried about me?''

He nodded again, and I smiled.

''Alright Gaara. The next time I go somewhere I'll make sure to find and tell you. Okay?''

He relaxed, and turned to smile at me. ''Okay.''

We sat like that for a while.

Him holding me as we listened to the frantic bustling of the other ninjas. At one point I heard Kankuro screaming.

''Hey, where'd Gaara go?''

I laughed, and turned towards the disappearing Kazekage.

''See? They do worry about you.''

He shook his head, and held up a finger. ''Wait a moment.''

I listened, and not even a second after Gaara spoke, I heard Temari yelling back at Kankuro.

''It doesn't matter. Gaara is more then capable of taking care of himself. Besides, his stuff is already packed and ready to go. Unlike yours!''

I laughed as we heard Kankuro's grumbling. I turned my attention back to Gaara.

''Alright, so I was wrong.''

He smirked at me.

A few minutes later, quiet had taken over for the noise.

I sighed. ''Well, I guess they finally went to sleep.''

I looked up at Gaara when he didn't respond, and saw that his face was upset. I turned in his arms so that I was facing him, and put my hand on his cheek.

''Whats wrong, hon?''

He looked at me with sad eyes.

''I'm leaving.''

I nodded encouragingly. ''I'm going back to prepare for a war. Unless Naruto can can convince Sasuke otherwise. I wont be able to see you for a while. I _was_ hopping that when I left that you would consider coming with me. However now there would be no point. Seeing that I'm not going to be home myself for who knows how long.''

Gaara sighed, leaning back into my head bored, and I smiled sympathetically.

''It's alright. After this war thing you can come back to see me. If I remember right were really not that far from Suna. The leaving part however, I will really have to think about. It would be hard to leave everything that I've ever known to a place where I know practically nothing.''

I stared at Gaara hopping that he understood.

Apparently he did, because he smiled softly, and leaned down to kiss my forehead.

''Its alright. You won't have to face leaving for a while anyways. I won't force you to do something that you don't want to do.''

I smiled relieved, and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

I paused as I pulled away, having a suddenly realization.

''Hey Gaara? Did you notice that we really haven't kissed yet?''

A confused expression came to his face. ''What do you mean? You just kissed me a second ago.''

I shook my head. ''No, I mean _really_ kissed.''

His confusion just intensified, and I frowned. I was going to have show him.

I turned in his arms, and leaned in closer, noticing that his confusion just became worse. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and stared into his eyes. I then pressed my lips to his.

I had surprised him. That much was clear. He was sitting there, without moving.

I pulled away after only a moment, and watched his face to judge his reaction. He still didn't move.

I laughed, and he blinked before speaking.

''What was that?''

I laughed harder. ''I told you Gaara, that was a kiss.''

He swallowed. ''_That_ was a kiss?''

I nodded. ''So do I have to kiss _other_ people like that?''

I shook my head, still laughing. ''No Gaara. Only people in relationships kiss like that. So you only need to kiss me like that.''

He smirked a moment, before grabbing me, and pinning me to the bed. He looked down at me seriously.

''I'm going to kiss you now.''

I nodded, and he suddenly crashed his lips to mine, letting his arms snake around my waist.

I let _my_ arms go back around his neck, my hands tangling themselves in his hair, inhaling deeply. He smelt wonderful. Like sand, and fresh air, and if I could have put a scent to sunlight it would have been what he radiated the most, and like the sun he was warm.

His lips which were soft, were urging mine to follow his lead, and I smiled into the kiss.

When we finally pulled away to breath, I was breathing hard, and Gaara was smirking. It took me a moment to catch my breath enough to speak.

''Are you _sure_ you have never kissed anyone before?''

He shook his head looking confused.

''Not like that. Why do you ask?''

I looked at him dazed. ''Because, your a _really_ good kisser.''

He smiled. ''I'm glad you think so, because I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.'' I

laughed. ''Believe me, it didn't show.''

He had moved so now we were both lying on my bed.

I sighed, and snuggled into his chest. I didn't want to be apart from him until I had to be.

''Gaara, do you want to sleep in here tonight?''

His answer was hesitant. ''Would you like for me too?''

I nodded, and his answer this time was more confident.

''I will then, though I don't really sleep much. Old habit.''

I smiled up at him. ''I have to change.''

He nodded, and moved his arms, so I could crawl out of the bed. I quickly grabbed a pair of pajamas, before going to the bathroom to change.


	10. Chapter 10

I woke up the next morning to somebody running their fingers through my hair.

I smiled, and snuggled closer to Gaara.

As soon as he felt me move, his fingers stopped their relaxing motions, and he rested his cheek on top of my head.

''Good morning.''

I yawned. ''Morning.''

I pulled back slightly, so I could look at him, and wondered if he had slept last night. I reached up to touch the dark ring under one of his eyes as I spoke.

''Gaara, did you sleep at all?''

He smiled softly. ''No. I told you that I don't sleep much. That old habit of staying up all the time hasn't gone away yet. So even though I am able to sleep without worries, I don't.''

I nodded understanding. He smiled again, and continued.

''Besides, its interesting watching you sleep. You move a lot.''

I smiled back at him. ''Yeah, I've been told that before. Dolly refused to let me sleep in his bed very often because I would move around so much that I would actually kick him. It wasn't like he really needed the sleep, and it didn't hurt him, but that still had to be a rude feeling. To be lying there relaxing, and then somebody randomly kicking you.''

Gaara smirked. ''I would imagine.''

I looked at the clock and saw that it was 8:45 in the morning. I turned back to Gaara with a curious look in my eyes.

''What time are you leaving today?''

I had thought that the ninja's would be leaving early this morning, but if Gaara was still here then they must be leaving later in the morning.

He untangled himself from me, and stretched as he answered. ''Well, _I'm_ planning on leaving around ten tomorrow.''

I sat up, and stared at him.

''You're not leaving until tomorrow? But what about everybody else? Are they not leaving until tomorrow either?''

He shook his head. ''No, they left around 4:30 this morning. You slept through all the commotion they made, though I don't see how. Naruto was yelling, and Sakura threw him into a wall. She's got a worse temper then I do.''

I smiled, and Gaara gave me a questioningly look. I shook my head, and stretched, as I spoke.

''So, how did they know that you weren't going with them? Because obviously they would have realized that you weren't downstairs when they left.''

He smirked. ''I decided yesterday, before you got back that I was going to stay with you for a little bit longer. I told Temari, and though she wasn't happy with it, she wouldn't _dare_ tell me that I couldn't stay.''

I laughed. I supposed that Temari was still a little bit frightened of Gaara. But because of that I was able to spend some extra time with him.

I turned my attention back to him, and noticed that he was watching me. I grinned at him, and saw that a smile was tugging at the corners of his lips.

''So you're with me another day, huh? Is there anything in particular that you wanted to do?''

I watched as his expression became thoughtful.

''Well, Kankuro left a note for Misa, and Sai left a note for Mona. They wanted us to deliver it to them. So we probably need to do that first, but otherwise I don't care. I really just want to spend as much time with you as possible.''

He smiled softly at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. A day with Gaara. That sounded nice.

After a little while of lying in bed, Gaara had gone back to his room, so we could start getting ready for the day.

We had decided that we would spend most of our time at the market. I thought that we might see Weasel, and the twins. They spent a lot of their time there. The twins had been getting bored a lot recently, since Dani was too tired to play with them outside.

So Weasel had been taking them to the market to give Dani a break, and to tire out the children before dinner. He said that they would sleep better that way. I just thought that he was spoiling them.

After I had finished getting ready, I walked down the hall to tell Salem where I was going. He didn't like it when I randomly disappeared. When I got within sight of his door, I saw that a piece of paper had been taped to the outside. I gently tore it away from the wood, and began reading.

**''Gone to Toru's. Be back later, or maybe not. I don't know yet. Anyways, see you later. Love you.**

**Salem. p.s. Have fun with Gaara. And don't be surprised that I know about the two of you. You know that I'm psycic. =D'' **

I laughed when I finished reading. It _did _seem like Salem was psychic. And the Toru person that he mentioned must be the girl he met at Aubry's. I hopped that, that was going well.\

I was still thinking about Salem's note, when I stopped outside Gaara's door.

I knocked, and a moment later heard his voice giving permission to enter. I opened the door to find him standing in front of the window staring at the scenery outside.

I walked over to him, and placed my hand on his arm. He looked at me, and I saw a sad look buried deep in his eyes. I looked at him questioningly.

''What's wrong Gaara?''

He didn't say anything as he grabbed my hand, and led me to sit on the edge of his bed. I stared at him, waiting for his explanation, and he stared at something across the room. He started rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand as he spoke.

''I was just thinking about the future. If Sasuke succeeds in destroying the Leaf Village, then a lot of things will be screwed up. The other hidden villages will have to reconsider the treaties that they have made. Most likely they will refuse to align themselves with the other villages again. They will think that it is a liability that they cannot afford again. Then it will only be a matter of time before they start fighting with each other. The villages have been waiting for an opportunity to break away from each other for years, and if the Leaf Village is destroyed then they will have it.''

I paused a moment, processing what he had said, before speaking.

''Well, then Sasuke can't be allowed to win.''

Gaara looked at me, startled. Like he couldn't believe that I thought things were that simple.

I smiled. ''Naruto will get to him in time, and well, if he doesn't then Sakura will. I have a feeling that he's still in love with her. Though Naruto is the first, and loudest to tell me that Sasuke _never_ loved anybody, but himself. Otherwise he would have stayed when Sakura begged him too.

But I think that Sasuke loved Sakura more then he ever let on. I've been around guys that have pretended that they had no interest in a girl most of my life. In reality though they care about them deeply.

I think that if he sees her, and they begin to talk that he'll give up on this whole 'destroy the Leaf Village' crap.''

Gaara was looking at me with such a surprised expression that I had to laugh.

He shook his head. ''I really don't understand any of this love stuff. It's confusing. I can see how you would stop something that would hurt the ones you love, but wouldn't he have thought about that before he began planning his revenge?''

I shook my head. ''Not necessarily. He may not have thought about it all the way through, or he may not think that seeing Sakura will stop him.

Or, he may just be planning on her not coming with Naruto to stop him. She's a medical ninja after all. He may injure enough people that he would think that she would be needed in the E.R. It could really be anything. There's too many possibilities to know for sure.''

He looked confused, and I smiled, and pulled him to a standing position with me. I pulled him towards the door, and grabbed the letters on his desk on the way. I turned to look at him while we walked.

''Don't worry Gaara. Everything will turn out okay, and the whole love thing is confusing to _everybody_. There's not one person in this world that understands it completely.''

He smiled slightly at me, and I led him out the front door. We were off to deliver love letters to some seriously opposite girls. Then we could have some time together, before he had to go face whatever was waiting for him in Konoha. I sighed. I felt like a postal person.


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Naruto.

Mona, and Misa lived in a house similar to mine and Salem's.

The only differences was the colors. It had a purpled roof, and sky blue walls.

Purple was Mona's favorite color. And Salem had teased Misa, that she should paint half of the roof HER favorite color. That way the house would have shown both of their personalities.

Misa had taken his teasing seriously, but instead of painting half of the roof, she had painted the entire outside.

So close too a mile away, you could see this bright blue house with a purple roof.

When Gaara saw it he stopped. ''_That's _where we're going?''

I nodded, smiling. ''Yap, interesting house isn't it?''

He nodded still to stunned to answer. The closer to the house we got, the more stunned his expression became. By the time we had reached the front door, I thought that he might faint.

I smiled. ''Wait till you see the inside.''

He looked at me, his eyes as large as dinner plates.

''Is it worse?''

I laughed. ''You'll see.''

I knocked on the door, and the door quickly swung open to reveal an excited looking Misa, who practically jumped on me so that she could give me a hug.

''Ria! How are you? Are you working tonight? Oh! Who's your friend?''

she pulled away from me, finally noticing Gaara, who had taken a few steps away from the overly excited girl. He was standing with a glare on his face, and his arms crossed over his chest.

I smiled as I answered her. ''Misa, this is Gaara. I pointed him out to you the other night. Remember? He is also Kankuros brother.''

As soon as I mentioned Kankuro, Misa's face heated in a blush.

''Oh, that's nice. Um, is he still at your house? He didn't come to Aubry's last night, like he said he would. Is he alright?''

I nodded. ''Yeah, he's fine. He, and the other ninjas just had some things come up that made them have to rush back to Konoha.''

I held the letters out to her as I continued speaking.

''He wanted us to bring you a letter though.''

She took the letters, and I explained the second letter.

''The other letter is to Misa from Sai. Would you mind giving it to her?''

She shook her head. ''No, I don't mind. She's sleeping right now anyways, so she wouldn't really appreciate being woken up. Even for a love letter.'' She giggled. ''I just have to remember to give it to her when she wakes up.''

I smiled. ''You _better_ remember. If she found out that you forgot to give her a letter from Sai, you would be in _big _trouble.''

She nodded, and grinned. ''Yeah, I know.''

I could tell by her brief answer that she was in a hurry to read her letter, so I said goodbye to her quickly, and turned in the direction of the market.

I looked at Gaara while we walked, and smiled. He had dropped his arms to his sides, and had moved closer to me. The glare was still in place, but I thought that the reason for that was because that expression had become a habit.

''So what did you think?''

He hadn't gotten more then a peak of the house, but it would have been enough for him to understand it's uniqueness. He was silent for a second.

''It's very...unusual.''

I laughed, and he continued speaking. ''Do they have a pool set up in the entryway?''

I nodded. ''Yap. Misa loves to swim, and they both wanted a pool. Neither of them likes cold water, so they decided to make it heated, and to put it indoors. I have no idea why they put it that close to the front door though.

Salem said that Misa hadn't cared, and that Mona wanted their unexpected visitors to fall in when they entered the house. But then Salem doesn't like Mona so he could have been thinking badly about her at that time.''

Gaara stopped walking, and turned towards me.

''Ria?''

I stared at him waiting. ''You have some very interesting friends.''

I laughed, and grabbed his hand, leading us to walk again.

''Gaara dear, you don't even know the half of it.''

The market wasn't as busy as I had thought it would be. I was still able to walk beside Gaara without being ran into. Mostly.

I watched Gaara as he looked around curiously.

''So what do you want to do?''

He looked at me bewildered. ''I don't know what is there to do?'

I smiled. Apparently Gaara had never been to the market before. I started running down a list of items, touching my fingers as I said each one.

''Well, there's shopping, places to eat, and then sometimes there are performances by traveling entertainers. There are fortune tellers, and booths to buy love potions, and that kind of thing. There is also games that you can play.''

He nodded, looking thoughtful.

''Alright. Lets' get some food first.''

I smiled. ''Is there a particular type of food that you want?''

He paused. ''Do you think there is any ramen booths around. All I hear from Naruto is how wonderful ramen is, and I think I would like to try it.''

I laughed, knowing what he was talking about. Naruto would talk about, and eat ramen all day if he could.

''I think we can find a stand or two.''

I smiled, and grabbed Gaara's hand leading him through the crowd of people, so we could find some Ramen.


	12. Chapter 12

I do not own Naruto.

Gaara and I basically inhaled the ramen that we had bought. Stopping to sit at one of the booths with red, and purple flags.

We continued our walking once we had finished.

It tried to hide my laugh while watching Gaara. He was looking from one stand to the next so quickly that I thought that he was going to give himself whiplash. He was like a little kid. He wanted to see everything at one time, not wanting to miss anything.

As I watched him I caught sight of a game stand where you had to throw three rings onto the neck of a bottle. I pulled Gaara over to it, and smiled.

''Would you like to play this?''

He looked at the brightly colored bottles, then back at me.

''Isn't there a rule that says that ninjas can't play any of these games?''

I laughed. ''Not around here. Some of the games are hard, even for ninjas, and the ones that aren't the people just enjoy watching a ninjas skills.''

I had taken Naruto once to the market, and he had loved being able to show off, and win prizes at the same time.

Gaara nodded. ''Alright, then how do you play?''

I explained the rules, and he concentrated on everything that I said. After I was finished I sighed.

''It's just a game Gaara. You don't have to wear such a serious expression. This is supposed to be fun.''

He smirked. ''Alright, but I'm warning you that I still plan on winning.''

I smiled. ''Well I would hope so. That's the point of playing.''

We payed the smiling man at the booth, and then Gaara threw all of the rings at the same time. I stood there amazed, as all three of the rings landed on all three different bottles at the same time.

Gaara looked at me triumphantly.

''So what do I win?''

I looked at the man running the booth. He looked as stunned as I felt. He shook his head, and pointed to the wall of plush animals, and trinkets.

''You have your pick of anything.''

I looked back at Gaara, and saw that he was eying something behind the counter. I stood on my toes to see what had caught his attention, and saw a group of panda bear cubs in what looked like a baby pin.

I noticed that the mother was sitting away from the pin, but was still keeping a close watch over her cubs. I looked closer at what Gaara was staring at, and saw that one of the cubs was sitting in a corner of the pin away from his playing brothers and sisters.

I looked at the guy, and he smiled. He went and picked up the cub, and handed him to me.

''I wasn't planning on letting any of Kira's babies go, but you two seem like that you would make a good home for him.''

He patted the cubs head, and then looked both Gaara, and I in the eyes.

''You two be sure to take good care of him. I don't like being proved wrong when I think that people are right for something.''

He smiled. ''But from what I see of you two, I have a feeling that I won't be disappointed.''

By the time our shock wore off the man had already turned back to luring customers to his booth.

Gaara and I started walking through the crowd again.

We didn't stay long after our run in with the guy at the booth. The panda bear was heavy, and eventhough we switched carrying him, it was still a long walk home.

While we were walking I smiled up at Gaara, who was at the moment having issues holding onto the wriggling cub. As I watched the cub crawled onto Gaara's shoulder, put his paw on top of his head, and fell asleep.

I giggled, and Gaara turned his attention to me.

''It looks like you have made a new friend.''

Gaara sighed, but, didn't say anything, so I continued.

''What are we going to name him? The man at the booth didn't mention him having a name did he?''

Gaara shook his head. ''No. But I suppose that we need to pick a good one, because the man said that he didn't like to be disappointed.''

I laughed. ''Well then I suppose that were going to have to be careful about what we choose. What about Rover?''

Gaara frowned. ''Isn't that a dogs name?''

I laughed. ''It is isn't it? Alright, let's not call him that.''

So we started down a list of names. Gaara saying ones like Sailor, Constantine, and Cezer. I was using ones like Dusty, Milo, and Darcy. When we couldn't think of anymore names I suggested that we just call him Pandy, and be done with it.

Gaara wrinkled his nose. ''What do you think of Butterball?''

I pondered the name for a while, a smiling coming to my face. ''It fits him, considering how heavy he is.''

I was the one carrying him at this time, and I almost dropped him. Gaara smirked, and took him from me. Butterball wiggled, and for a little bit, and then went back to his spot on Gaara's shoulder, with his paw on Gaara's head.

I tried to fake seriousness as I spoke. ''You know if we wait a few minutes we may start to hear snoring.''

Gaara snorted. ''_You_ may hear snoring. All I hear is this massive thing breathing in my ear.''

I couldn't help but laugh. ''AWW! But you both just look so cute. We should take a picture, and send it to your siblings.''

Gaara smiled at me for a moment, but then stopped, frowning.

By this time we were in my yard, and I looked at him confused.

''Whats wrong Gaara?''

He gave Butterball to me, but wouldn't look at me. I began to think about what we had been discussion, but couldn't think of anything that would send him into a depression.

He sighed. ''My siblings will be in Konoha by now.'' He turned towards me. ''Ria, I don't think that I can stay as long as I originally said.''

I nodded. ''I didn't think that you would. I was just glad to be able to spend the time I did with you. I figured that you will want to leave as soon as possible?''

He put his hands on my arms and looked down at me. ''I really don't want to leave you. I just can't let them fight alone.''

I smiled up at him. ''I know. I do understand, it's just that I don't want you or any of the others to get hurt. Which of course you probably will. Just _please_ try not to get hurt to badly.''

He smirked. ''I'll try.''

He paused for a moment before leaning down to kiss me. He was getting better at that.

I felt all of his frustration, and sorrow for leaving, mixed with the joy, and happiness of having someone to love in this kiss.

By the time we pulled apart to breath I was sure that my lips were bruised. He left his arms wrapped around me, and I continued to lean on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. For that moment it matched mine.

I was the first to pull away, not wanting him to miss anymore daylight. He would already be traveling some of the way in the dark, but going through the countryside, and town that surrounded where I lived it was better to be through it before sunset.

I looked up at him. ''Do you need anything from out of the house?''

He shook his head. ''I sent it with my siblings. If I leave now, then I should be in Konoha before breakfast tomorrow. So I won't need food either.''

I nodded. ''You better go then. You don't want to miss breakfast.''

It was a poor attempt at lightheartedness, and we both knew it. He was still holding me, and I put my hands on his face, kissed him quickly, and then untangled myself.

I turned to pick up Butterball, mostly to give myself something else to do besides concentrating on Gaara leaving.

I turned back to him as he spoke, noticing that his expression was determined. ''I love you, Ria.''

I smiled. ''I know. I love you too.''

He nodded. ''I'll send word as soon as this stupid war is over.''

He stared at me for a while before doing some hand signs, and disappearing in a cloud of sand. I stood there for a few moments staring at the spot where he had been standing, before taking Butterball inside to see his new home.

I walked inside to find Salem sitting on the couch drinking something out of a can. I was a little afraid to know what it was. He has some seriously weird taste sometimes.

I put Butterball on the floor, and flopped down on the couch beside Salem. We didn't say anything for a few minutes. Sitting there, and contemplating our own problems.

Salem was the first to break the silence. ''How did your date go?''

I sighed. ''Fine, how was your's?''

He shrugged. ''Fine. I guess.'' He took another gulp of his drink. ''Her father hates me.''

I looked at him startled. ''What? You've only just met her. What did you do to make him hate you already?''

He shrugged. ''I don't know. I guess he just doesn't want to let her go. She's the youngest child, you know.''

He took another swallow of his drink. ''It didn't help that he walked in while I was kissing her either.''

I laughed. ''No, I could see how that would make a father angry.''

He took another swallow. ''Yap. Anyways, you heard my story, what's yours? Did Gaara get abducted again, or what?''

I glared at him. ''No. And that's not funny. He had to go help his family, and the leaf ninjas fight against Weasels little brother.'' I huffed. ''I think that if I ever meet the guy that I'm going to hit him in his face.''

Salem laughed for a moment, and then sighed. ''Looks like we both have issues.''

He offered me the can that he was holding. ''Do you wanna drink?''

I looked doubtfully at the can. ''What is it?''

He glanced at the can, and then back to me. ''I really don't know. But it's good. Aubry gave it to me. He said it was to congratulate me on finding a nice girl to date.

A lot of good it does me if her father wont let me within fifty feet of her,''

He took another drink, only to spit it back out again. ''What in God's green Earth is _that_?''

I looked to where he was pointing, and saw Butterball laying on the floor staring up at us.

I laughed. ''It's a panda bear. Cute isn't he? Gaara, and I got him at the market today. His name's Butterball.''

Salem grabbed a towel off of the coffee table, and began dabbing at the wet spots on his shirt.

''It fits him. I hope Sora doesn't mind sharing a bed with him.''

Salem looked at me, and then back at Butterball. ''I wonder if hunting a panda bear would make the old man like me better?''

I stared at him. ''Only if it was _you_ in the panda bear costume.''

He smiled. ''That's probably right. Then the geezer would probably put my head on the wall.''

I wrinkled my nose. ''That's gross Salem! I think that stuff you're drinking has gone to your head.''

He laughed. ''Yap. Are you sure that you don't want some? It'll make you feel better.'' He wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I laughed.

''No thanks. One of us barfing up our toenails is enough for tonight I think.''

He smiled. ''Yeah, I guess.''

He put his arm around my shoulders. ''You know what?''

I looked at him smiling. ''No what?''

''Our love lives suck. We should join the church. You would be Sister Ria, and I would be Brother Salem.''

I laughed, and shook my head. ''You wouldn't be able to abstain from some things.''

He smiled. ''You're probably right but still, I think I'll call you little sister from know on.''

His smile was lopsided, and I laughed. ''_I_ think that you need to lay down for a while. Whatever was in that drink _has_ gone to your head.''

I stood up so he could lay down, and got a blanket to lay over him. He had already closed his eyes by the time I turned around to pick up Butterball.

As I walked towards my room I heard him mumbling. ''Night little sister.''

I smiled. ''Goodnight big brother.''

I made my way slowly to my room hoping that _I_ could sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

I don't own Naruto

I woke up the next morning, feeling more tired then when I had gone to bed.

Butterball, had kept me up most of the night, tossing, and turning. He had finally fallen asleep on top of my chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Around five in the morning, I had finally decided to give up on my sleep, and made my way downstairs to cheek on Salem.

He was sprawled out on the couch. One of his legs off of the cushions, and his arms thrown over his eyes. The blanket had fallen off of him, and I gently replaced it over him, before making my way into the kitchen.

Salem would be walking up soon, and though I wasn't really hungry, I knew that Salem would need food, and coffee. I searched through the cabinets, and freezer looking for something to eat, and finally found some muffin mix, and frozen blueberries.

I was just beginning to stir the batter, when I heard a loud 'thunk' from the living room. It was followed by a loud groan, and I soon heard Salem moving towards the kitchen.

He instantly went to pour a cup of coffee, and took a sip of the steaming liquid, before flopping down on a kitchen chair.

We enjoyed the silence in the kitchen. Salem because his head was pounding, and I was still trying to wake myself up.

I had just placed the tray of muffins in the oven, and Salem had poured his second cup of coffee, when we heard a sharp banging on the front door.

Salem groaned, and placed a hand to his head, while I looked at him startled.

''Where you expecting anyone?''

He shook his head, and made his way towards the knocking.

I followed behind him, and peeked under his arm as he threw open the door.

I stared in surprise at the unknown man that stood on my porch, and by the tone of Salem's voice, he didn't recognize him either.

''Hello. Can we help you with something?''

The man's looked at Salem, as if he was sizing him up, before speaking.

''I was sent by the Kazekage to this address, with the specific orders to deliver a message to a person named, Ria. Do you know where I could find this person?''

Salem paused for a moment, before stepping away from me.

I suddenly had a closer look at the man, and noticed the Suna headband tied around his forehead.

The ninja looked at me with an apraising look, before nodding.

''You are, Ria?''

I nodded. ''Yeah. You said that you had a message for me?''

He nodded, and turned a pointed look at Salem.

''I think that it would be better if I gave her the message in private.''

Salem raised an eyebrow, and crossed his arms. I smiled at his stubbornness, before turning back to the ninja.

''Anything that your Kazekage told you, can be said in front of Salem.''

Gaara wouldn't have told his messenger anything that Salem couldn't hear.

The man frowned, but nodded, seeing that I wasn't going to push Salem from the room.

''His lordship the Kazekage, has invited you to come to the village hidden in the sand, to attend a festival in honor of the defeat of Sasuke Uchiha.''

I turned to look at Salem. The ninja's had only left the day before. Could they have finished they're fighting already?''

Salem shrugged, and the man cleared his throat to gain my attention. I winced at the grating noise, but turned back to him.

''The Kazekage, also insists that I escort you into the village, should you wish to attend the festival. The elder brother of the Kazekage asks that you invite a miss Misa, as well.''

The man stopped, and I nodded.

''Was that it?''

He reached into his bag, and pulled out a scroll, handing it to me quickly.

''He sent a letter. I expect that it will explain what I have already told you.''

I nodded, and stepped back, anxious to read whatever Gaara had written.

Salem began giving him directions to Misa's, and then to Aubry's, where he could wait, while I packed.

I didn't hear if the man replied, or if he argued.

I had already closed the door to my room, and ripping open the seal on the scroll. I sat down quickly on my bed, my eyes instantly going to the spikey writing.

''_Dear, Ria. I know that you are probably wondering why I am able to write to you so quickly. _

_Sasuke DID attempt to attack Kanoha. But when he saw Sakura, and she threw herself in front of him, he couldn't continue with his plan. _

_You were right about him, still having feelings for her. _

_Nobody knows what they said to each other in that brief time that they had alone, but whatever it was caused them to fall to their knees, and embrace each other. _

_There was an awful screech from the woman that had traveled with him, when he kissed Sakura. It took three ninja to restrain her, when she tried to run towards them. Apparently she wasn't very happy about him choosing Sakura over her. _

_But that's over with, and I would really like to see you. And Kankuro is hoping that you will bring Misa along. He won't stop talking about her. _

_I know that Salem will not allow you to travel to Suna alone, so please bring him with you. And anyone else that would make you more comfortable. _

_Truthfully, I wouldn't mind if you brought your entire village, as long as you came to Suna. I didn't think that I could miss anyone this much. But I miss you. _

_Please come to Suna. And bring Butterball if you can. Temari wants to see him._

_Gaara._

I looked at the scroll for a second more before finding my duffel bag, and throwing my needed clothes and essentials inside.

As I was zipping up the bag, I heard the door opened, and Salem entered, a muffin in his hand.

''Are you getting ready to leave?''

I nodded, and turned towards him, wincing as I caught a whiff of the slightly burnt muffin.

''Yeah. And you better go pack soon too. I don't want to go to Suna without you.''

He smirked.

''I wasn't planning on letting you, Little Sister. My bag is packed, and waiting downstairs. I promised Sasori that I would look out for you. And you know that I don't break my promises.'' He chuckled. ''And besides: What kind of big brother would I be if I let you travel alone, when you can't even remember to turn off the oven. You almost charred the muffins.''

I tried to scowl at him, but I ruined it with a giggle.

''I suppose you're right. I was just so excited to read Gaara's letter that I forgot about my cooking.'' I paused, a sudden thought popping into my mind. I tilted my head.

''Hey, Salem? Would you like for Toru to come with us?''

His eyes widened, and he nodded.

''I would. If you can convince her father to come with us.''

I smirked. ''I bet I can. If you'll go to Misa's to see how she's coming along in her packing, and tell Mona that she can come with us, I'll go over to Toru's to talk to her dad.''

He frowned.

''I don't know if I'm getting a better or worse deal, but alright. I'll meet you at Aubry's?''

I nodded, and watched as Salem walked down the stairs.

I shook my head, and grabbed my bag from the bed. I doubted that I would be coming back.

I put on Sora's leash, with a sigh. I would have to take her with me, and grabbed Butterball by the scruff of his neck.

I walked down the stairs, struggling with the poor panda bear, and was suddenly satisfied that I worked with the Yuki, and Suki. I didn't have to ask where Toru lived.

I stopped suddenly. I was supposed to work the night shift. I would need to talk to Aubry about that.


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own Naruto.

It turned out that talking to the father into letting his daughter go with us wasn't that hard.

The Father: who's name was Mark, was a frequent visitor to Aubry's. So I bribed him with a free order of whatever he wanted the next time that I worked.

He grinned, and agreed. He said that as long as someone was with the two of them that he didn't mind Salem dating her. He just didn't want to be a grandfather yet. Especially from his youngest child.

I agreed, and he said that Toru would meet us at Aubry's in half-an-hour. It wouldn't make the messenger very happy that he had to wait, but he would get over it.

I got to Aubry's and found that I was very wrong about the messengers disposition.

He was in a _terrific_ mood. Aubry had given him some of his special wine. The kind that he saved for either important people, or special occasions. The ninja was beat red, and his words were slurred.

''Sooo ya see, tat we 'ave ta leave as soon as dey makes up their minds.''

Aubry was stifling his laughter, and I walked over to the table were they sat.

When Aubry noticed me he chuckled.

''Amazing how people have different reactions to alcohol.''

The ninja was still ranting, talking to the air, and I looked back at Aubry.

''Jeez, how much has he had?''

Aubry shook his head. ''Still hasn't finished his first glass. He's spilled most of it, waving his hands around. So you came to tell me that you can't work tonight, huh?''

I smiled sheepishly, and nodded.

He grinned. ''You realize that as soon as you get back that I'm working you extra hard, right?''

I nodded, and he suddenly clapped his hands together.

''Good! Now about that pooch of yours? I think that it would be better if I kept her here while you're gone. She wouldn't now what to do in all that sand. Isn't that right Sora?''

Sora's ears pricked up, and Aubry laughed. ''That's what I thought.''

He grinned at me then turned back to the messenger at the table, and sighed.

''_Him_ I'm not keeping. He's not as good of company as Sora is. All he does is complain. He may be a burden on you while you walk back.''

I nodded. ''Probably, in the shape he is now. I think that I'll go make some coffee. He can drink that, and _maybe_ we'll be able to leave in the next few hours.''

I sighed. I had been hoping to get to Suna before nightfall. Now that didn't seem possible.

Aubry patted my shoulder. ''It's alright Ria. You'll be there before you know it.''

He smiled, and walked back to the table to take the bottle, and cup away from the drunken messenger. Well maybe we'll be able to leave before lunch tomorrow.

I sighed, again before walking towards the bar.

It turned out that we were able to leave an hour-and-a-half later. The messenger seemed to have a quick digestive system.

He was drunk, then had a hangover for about an hour, then he was fine and scowling.

He explained that being a ninja, anything that he eats, or drinks is processed through his body faster. I didn't care. I was going to be in Suna by sunset.

A few minutes later we set off. Leaving Sora with Aubry, and using her leash on Butterball. It really didn't help anything because he wanted to be carried the entire time.

So Salem, Misa, Mona, and I took turns carrying the panda cub to Suna.

The messenger was getting on my nerves as we walked. He was complaining that we were taking to long, and that we needed to hurry our 'non-ninja' butts up.

I told Salem that if he made another reference to him being a ninja, that he was going to have a broken nose to deal with. Salem had smiled, and nodded.

He turned to take Butterball away from Misa, who was doing just fine carrying him. I think that he just wanted to look strong, and chivalrous in front of Toru.

We took a few breaks to rest and eat, but they were never more then ten minutes.

As we got closer to the village we took less breaks, we were all in a hurry to be finished with the walking part of our trip.

We finally saw the gates, and that was only because Salem almost ran into them. The sand had hidden them from view, and so we were walking, towards what we thought was nothing, and then a large set of gates appeared in front of us.

When we reached the ninjas guarding the gates, the messenger had to explain what all of us were doing in Suna, and then with a few curious glances, we were let into Suna.


	15. Chapter 15

I do not own Naruto.

I noticed as we entered the village that no one paid any attention to us, as we were led through the streets.

They were all to busy preparing for the festival that even strangers being brought in by the Kazekage's personal messenger didn't hold any appeal.

The messenger directed us to an Inn in the middle of town.

''One of you will need to go tell the Kazekage that you have arrived. The building is over there.'' He pointed to a building a few yards away from the Inn. ''I'll leave you to whatever you people do.''

He suddenly turned on his heel, and walked off.

Salem grinned at me. ''Well, Little Sister better get walking. The Kazegage himself wants to see you.''

I stood there gaping at him as he took my bag, and led our group, and Butterball to the Inn.

He smiled over his shoulder, and gave me a thumbs up behind his back.

I smiled. He had just solved the problem of Misa volunteering to go so she could see Kankuro.

I shook my head, and began walking towards the building. I wasn't really paying attention to anything as I walked. I would see all of the decorations later. Right now, my mind was filled with what I would say to Gaara.

When I walked through the door, a man behind a desk looked up at me. I guessed that he was the secretary. He had a pompous attitude that was apparent as soon as I saw him.

He stuck his nose in the air and asked what business I had with the Kazegage.

I paused. ''I was told that I was to report to him as soon as possible.''

The man sniffed. ''The Kazegage has said that he will see no one the rest of the day. I'm sorry, but you will have to came back tomorrow.''

I frowned. He really didn't sound sorry at all. In fact he sounded kinda smug. I was trying to be polite, and I wasn't good at that anyways, but this guy was making it even harder.

''Um, he's actually kinda expecting me. So will you ask him if he wants to see me, and if he says no then I will come back tomorrow. Though I doubt that that will be necessary.''

The man sniffed again. ''I told you already, the Kazekage will see no one today. You will have...'' I cut him off. Screw being polite. I didn't enjoy that anyways.

''Look! Just ask him, okay.''

I had my hands pressed tightly to the desk, leaning over it into his face, which had turned red when I had interrupted him.

He stood up quickly, and knocked on the door. I heard the voice within mumble, but couldn't understand what it had said. The man opened the door slightly and poked his head inside.

''I'm sorry to disturb you, but there is a girl here that insists that you are expecting her. I have told her that you would see no one else today, but she won't leave until I ask you to see her. Should I tell her to leave now? She's very rude.''

I heard a sigh, and when Gaara spoke next his voice was weary.

''No, if I'm expecting her then it wouldn't be right for me to send her away without at least seeing her briefly. Tell her to come in.''

The man shot a hatefully look at me, before opening the door a little wider so that I could pass.

As I passed by him he sniffed, and I had the brief urge to punch him in his nose. I walked into the room, and heard the door shut softly behind me.

I looked around, and found that Gaara was gazing out the window, with his hands clasped behind his back. He didn't look at me as he spoke.

''I wasn't planning on seeing anyone else today, but since you were able to persuade my secretary into asking if I wanted to talk to you, it must be something important. So I would appreciate it if you give me your reason for being here quickly.''

I smiled. He hadn't realized that it was me. Well, that or he was being _very_ cold.

I shrugged, though he couldn't see it, a teasing tone in my voice.

''Well it really isn't anything important, and I'll try to hurry through my explanations quickly. I know that your probably tired. But your Messenger DID say that one of us needed to tell you that we were here, and Salem kinda drafted me so...''

I stopped suddenly, a giggle making it's way from my throat.

He had turned around so quickly as I began to speak, that he had to put his hand on the window seal to keep himself from falling. He stared at me, shocked. ''Ria?''

I nodded happily. ''Yap. So wha..''

Gaara had somehow gotten over to me without me seeing, and had pinned me against the wall.

His lips were harsh against mine, and he kissed me deeply. I smiled, and let my arms slide around his neck, my hands tangled in his hair.

When he pulled away, I laughed. ''You know, maybe I should be away from you more often. I liked that greeting. I didn't realize that the Kazekage was so welcoming to visitors.''

Gaara smirked. ''Only a special person gets that kind of welcome from me. Now since I have welcomed you as the Kazekage, I think that I will now greet you as your boyfriend.''

I smiled, and he kissed me again. This time the kisses were more sweet then forceful.

When we pulled away from each other, Gaara began to trail kisses along my jaw, and down my neck.

I stood there a minute, before gently pushing him away.

He looked at me confused, and I smiled. ''As much as I would love to stay here, and let you kiss me, I have to make sure my peoples aren't getting into to much trouble.''

He nodded. ''Who all did you bring?''

I shrugged. ''Well there's Salem, of course, His girlfriend Toru, Misa, Mona, and Butterball.''

Gaara smirked, and went back to kissing my neck. I was confused as to why he thought that that was funny. I tried to push him away again, but found that I couldn't.

I felt him smirk against my skin as I gave up. I truthfully didn't _want_ him to stop. He could hear me fine, though he might find it difficult to talk.

''Gaara? Why was what I said so funny? Is there something that I don't know about going on?''

He lifted his head, but instead of answering, started kissing me again. He was trying to distract me, but it wasn't going to work.

He pulled back after awhile, and I smirked. ''You still haven't answered my question.''

He sighed. ''And here I thought that I would be able to discourage you from asking random questions while we're together. I guess not.''

He was being dramatic, and I had to admit that it was kinda funny. I smiled. ''It's your fault. If you hadn't smirked at a random moment then I wouldn't have asked. So what was it about?''

He sighed again. ''I was just thinking that it will be all couples at the festival, and that maybe we could ditch them at some point, but since my kisses don't seem to have an effect on you..''

He shrugged, and I laughed. ''Is that all?''

He nodded, and I pulled him towards me a smile still on my face.

''You know what?'' I leaned my forehead against his. ''I don't mind ditching them.''

I saw Gaara smile, and he brushed a finger over my lips.

''Good. Because I'm not done welcoming you to Suna yet.''

I laughed, and laid my head on his chest. ''Good. I like this type of welcome.''

He smirked, and we stood there for a few more seconds, until there was a knock on the door.

Gaara pulled away, reluctantly, and went to open it.

I couldn't hear what the secretary, and him were talking about, but I could tell that Gaara was not happy. I heard the secretary arguing, and then he suddenly went quiet.

A second later Gaara slammed the door in the man's face. ''He's an annoying man, but he gets the job done.''

Gaara had gone back to the window, and was staring out. I walked over to him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and laying my head on his back.

''What's wrong Gaara?''

He shook his head. ''Nothing really. It's just that some people are worrying that since Sasuke was going to annihilate the leaf village that this is all a ruse to get into _our _village on friendly terms. It's completely idiotic, but people are very suspicious.''

He turned around to hug me. ''Naruto, and the others will be here tomorrow. _You_ got here quicker then I expected so I told Naruto to be here around two in the afternoon.''

I nodded, and smiled. ''So Sai will be coming too, huh?''

Gaara nodded, and I smirked. ''Well Mona will like that.''

I turned to look outside, and noticed that it was getting dark.

I sighed, and untangled myself. ''I have to go. They'll be wondering where I'm at.''

I looked down at my clothes. ''Besides, I really need a shower.''

He smiled. ''I'll walk you home.''

I shook my head, and pointed to his desk. ''You probably have work to do. The hotel's just down the road, I can get there in less then two minutes.''

He gave me an 'I can't believe that you're arguing with me about this' look, and pulled me towards him again.

''I was about to go home anyways, and I _refuse_ to let you walk in the dark alone. You're not a...''

I quickly covered his mouth with my hand, grimacing slightly.

''I swear if you say 'not a ninja' I'm going to scream.''

He nodded, and I let my hand fall to my side. ''And I _can _take care of myself you know. If anyone messes with me I can always burn them.''

Gaara looked at me, surprised. ''I had forgotten that you can control fire. Though I would still rather walk you home. Mostly so I know that you _did_ get there safely.''

I smiled, and nodded. ''Alright. You can use the excuse that you wanted to see Butterball.''

Gaara smiled. ''Of course. We can't disappoint the mysterious man at the booth.''

I laughed. ''Nope, and besides, Salem's probably having issues with the girls.''

Gaara nodded, and pulled me out the door, leading us past the sniffing man, and towards the Inn to see Butterball.


	16. Chapter 16

Okay. Sorry it's taken so long. I AM writing. I actually have close to 600 pages written. However it takes me FOREVER to type them. I promise when I get more time that I'll sit down and write almost non-stop. Until then I'll Upload when I can. THIS particular chapter would have been up sooner, but the bloody Purple Monster decided that he wanted to steal my USB drives. Took me three whole days to get them back. Anyways. I wanna thank my friend Joel for editing my other stories. He'll most likely have to fix this one too. Sorry. I heart your face!

I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. Like I've said before: This fanfiction would be made into reality, and a few modifications would be made. Like the fact that Gaara would be Sasori's son. Doesn't that Just fit soooo well?lol. Oh. And I'm sorry if some of the facts are wrong. But hey...this is MY story, and I can screw it up however I want. Bwahaha! Though I would appreciate someone telling me if something is majorly wrong so I can fix it. I TRY to stay close to the actual story line, I just don't make it sometimes. So thanks, and enjoy reading! ;P

Gaara had come up for a few minutes, but after seeing that everyone was comfortable, he had left claiming that he needed to be home.

Almost as soon as he left Misa came over to me.

"Um Ria? Did you see Kankuro while you were there?"

I shook my head.

"No, but I bet when he finds out that you're here he'll come and see you."

Misa nodded, and then her eyes widened.

"Ria! What did you do to your neck? It's red in certain places."

Mona after hearing all of the surprised statements came over, and after a brief expection, smirked.

"And your lips are beginning to swell."

My eyes must have widened with each statement, and now I was sure that they were the size of saucers.

I put my hand to my neck, feeling the still smooth skin.

I looked at Salem, and Toru who were sitting across the room, and sighed in relief at how low we had kept our voices.

Mona noticed my worried look, and smiled.

"Don't worry Ria. They're not horrible, and I think that they will fade before tomorrow. So Salem _shouldn't _see them."

She grinned.

"Just don't go crazy tonight when Lover Boy comes back."

I frowned in confusion.

"What makes you think that he will be coming back tonight?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh please. With the way that he was looking at you? He'll be back. Believe me. All those glances meant that he wouldn't stay away from you for long."

Misa nodded her head vigorously.

"Yeah. It was actually kinda cute. He looks _really _innocent for a teenage boy. Like he doesn't know what he's feeling."

Mona nodded sagely.

"That's why I go for the more experienced guys. They know what they want, and when they want it. Not that they get it of course. I have standards"

We laughed, and I FINALLY began to look around the room.

It was built like a small house. With a tiny living room, that connected to the kitchen, and then went to different doors, that led to our rooms.

Gaara had made sure that we all got our own room, and I was glad that I wouldn't be sharing with one of the girls. It was nice when we had slumber parties, but staying DAYS with each other, without a place to run to was not a good idea.

Mona saw me looking around, and nudged Misa.

"Hey Mis. Did you realize that the Kazekage gave each of us our own rooms?"

Misa nodded.

"Yeah I did. I think he just thought that we all needed our own space."

Mona grinned.

"Really? I think it was because he knew that all of our boyfriends would be here."

Misa frowned.

"So? Why would that matter. Just because they're here doesn't mean that we all have to sleep in separate rooms. We could just kick the guys out when we got tired, and they could go sleep somewhere else."

Mona closed her eyes, and shook her head in exasperation.

"Misa sometimes your innocence amazes me."

Misa looked at her strangely, and then shrugged.

I smiled at the two of them, and then frowned as I moved.

"I'm going to go take a shower. I have sand in places that I didn't know sand could get."

Both nodded in agreement, and Salem finally spoke up.

"Hey little sister! Be sure to take the fluff-ball with you. I don't wanna hear him whining at night."

I shrugged, and picked up the 'fluff-ball' before going to my room.

As I entered my room I quickly looked around the room, and then sighed. Maybe Mona was wrong. Gaara did have a lot to do.

I shrugged, and quickly dug in my pack to find some clean clothes.

JQJQJQ

I came out of the bathroom, and shuddered. I looked at the balcony, and noticed that one of the doors was slightly open.

I also noticed that Butterball was not in the place that I had laid him.

I looked around for the missing panda, and paused when my eyes scanned my bed. Somebody was sitting there. And the Panda was lounging in his lap, enjoying the attention this person wasshowing him.

I giggled softly, and the persons head instantly turned towards me. I sat on the bed, and smiled.

"Hi."

Gaara smiled back slightly.

"Hello."

I grinned.

"So why didn't you tell me that you were coming back tonight?"

He frowned, and looked at the ceiling as he answered.

"I wasn't planning on coming back. I didn't even know where I was going until I found myself on your balcony. It just seemed that I didn't want to be away from you for long."

My smile was ironic.

Well Mona had been right I guess.

I frowned. Thinking of Mona caused me to think of Misa, and thinking of Misa caused me to remember her asking about Kankuro.

I turned to Gaara to find him still staring at the ceiling, and absently petting Butterball.

I smiled, and interrupted his musings.

"Hey Gaara? Did you tell Kankuro that we were here?"

He nodded.

"I told both of my siblings that you had arrived. Temari didn't seem that interested, but Kankuro was almost unbearable with how excited he was that Misa was here. If it wasn't for Temari's threat then he would be here tonight."

I smiled, and tilted my head.

"What was the threat?"

Gaara smirked slightly.

"That if Kankuro came anywhere near 'that girl' tonight that she would poison his food."

He grimaced.

"Not like it could be worse then her normal cooking."

I laughed.

"Oh, come on! It couldn't be THAT bad."

He shook his head.

"I'll tell you what. Sometime while you're here, I'll take you to my house, and let you try one of Temari's creations. Alright?"

I smiled, and nodded.

I looked at him for another minute before giggling. His brow furrowed.

"What's so funny?"

I shook my head.

"I was just thinking that tomorrow is going to be interesting."

He gave me this 'how so' look, and I continued.

"Well Naruto is going to be there, and that would make ANYTHING interesting. Then Sasuke is back, and from what I hear, him and some of the other ninjas don't get along. Plus he's now dating Sakura, and we all know what happens when she gets angry. And finally your sister's boyfriend is going to be there."

Gaara crossed his arms, and grumbled.

I laughed.

"He can't be THAT bad. From what everyones told me he's just extremely lazy. Other then that he's supposedly a nice guy."

Gaara nodded sourly.

"Hn. And now my sister thinks that because he's the official diplomat between the Sand and Leaf that she needs to go see him all he time. She keeps pestering me with wanting an assignment to the Leaf. Apparently I don't have enough work to do. I also have to keep a long distance relationship going. That ISN'T mine."

He rolled his eyes, and I faked seriousness.

"I see your point. Temari wanting to go see her boyfriend is horrible. They should be able to be far enough in love that they only need to see each other rarely, and briefly. Shame on them."

Gaara smiled, and nodded.

"My thoughts exactly. Also, her choice in guys, and carers is horrible. We had hopped when she grew up that she would be a teacher. She always enjoyed bossing everyone around. And then she decided to fall in love with a NINJA. Not a Doctor, or Lawyer, but a NINJA."

Gaara sighed, and shook his head sadly.

"Not just any ninja either. The laziest one in the Leaf..."

He stopped as I busted out laughing, and smiled at me.

He moved to put Butterball at the edge of the bed, where the panda spiraled unconsciously, and then moved back towards me. He kicked off his shoes, and crawled under the covers. He looked up at me, blinking innocently, and I smiled.

"I suppose that that is your subtle was of telling me that it's time for bed, huh?"

He smirked, and I stood up to pull the covers back. I then noticed that the balcony doors were still opened. I moved to close them, but felt sand brush past me, and the door was soon closed and locked.

I looked back towards the bed, and saw Gaara sitting up again with his hand raised. As I watched his hand fell, and the sand stopped moving.

I smiled, and made my way back to the bed. I quickly crawled under the covers, and shivered. As soon as I was situated Gaara moved to wrap his arms around me. I sighed. The boy was EXTREMELY warm.

I snuggled more into him, and pressed my cold feet to his skin. He jumped in surprise, and glared down at me as I snickered.

"That was not funny."

I giggled.

"Yes it was. Maybe not to you, but it definitely was to me. Because my feet are now warm."

I smiled up at him, and then frowned. Dang. The light was still on. I looked at Garra hopefully.

"Do you think that you could use your sand to turn the light off? It would save you the horror of dealing with my cold feet again."

He widened his eyes slightly.

"Anything but the cold feet. That was horrible."

I nudged him playfully.

"Oh whatever. They weren't even that cold."

He smiled, and I felt his hands moving in hand signs behind my back. I heard a rustling, and the room was soon dark.

I sighed.

"I could get used to that. Not having to deal with getting up to close doors, and turn off lights."

I couldn't see him, but I felt his arms tighten.

A few minutes passed before he spoke, waking me from my doze.

"Ria?"

I sighed tiredly.

"Hm?"

"I love you."

He had a smile in his voice, and I smirked.

"I love you too Gaara."

He kissed the top of my head, and sighed.

"I know. Goodnight."

I don't even think that I replied before falling asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Blah blah blah. No I don't own Naruto. Or any other Anime for that matter. Wish I did. I would most likely be rich, adn living in a HUGE house. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy it. Sorry if there's any screw ups. SMILES!**_

I woke up to Butterball scratching and whining at the door. I groaned and rolled over, trying to get away from the thought of getting up. As I pushed closer to the hard surface beside me I felt a movement, and suddenly the hard surface was gone, and a loud thump echoed throughout the room.

I sat up startled, and looked on the floor in time to see Gaara sitting up, a hand on his head.

"Was there a specific reason as to why you pushed me off of the bed ?"

I looked at him horrified.

"I'm sorry. I thought that you were a wall so I pressed into you. I wasn't expecting a wall to move."

He quickly crawled back onto the bed, and kissed my forehead gently.

"It's fine Ria. I'm not angry at you. That was just an interesting awakening."

I nodded, and he kissed me on the lips this time instead of the forehead. A few seconds later he began to trail kisses down my neck, and I pushed on his chest. He pulled back, and stared at me in alarm.

"What's wrong?"

I covered my smile, and put on a stern expression.

"Oh no. You are NOT going to do that today. Misa saw my neck yesterday, and APPARENTLY you left marks because she nearly freaked out."

Garra looked confused, and looked at me.

"I can leave marks from kissing you?"

I nodded.

"Yes Gaara you can leave marks."

He bit his lip hesitantly, and looked at me upset.

''Oh Gaara. You didn't hurt me at all."

I paused as I realized what he thought had happened. He thought that the marks were like cuts and bruises. That I had to be injured to have them show.

I laughed softly.

"I think that I might need to show you what I mean by marks."

Gaara looked at me sadly, and nodded.

After he was lying on the bed I moved his shirt so his collar bone was exposed, and I started kissing right under it. I didn't want the mark to show.

Gaara just stayed still, still upset about leaving a mark.

I finally sat up, and looked, a smile coming to my face. Where I was kissing was a bright red spot.

"Okay. Did that hurt at all?"

His eyes were a little dazed, but he shook his head. I grinned and grabbed his hand, dragging him over to the mirror.

"Look."

He moved his shirt, and I saw his expression fill with shock. He touched the spot, and then looked at me.

"It doesn't hurt at all."

I nodded.

"It wont. It's kinda just there."

He smirked, and looked at me in the mirror.

"Is THIS what I did to you yesterday?"

I nodded.

"Yap. And when I came in Misa almost flipped. Well that's until she figured out what they were. Then she was fine. I'll probably get teased about it today."

I walked back to the bed, and sat on the edge. Gaara smirked, and walked towards me. He put his hands on the bed on either side of me, and bent down till he was eye level with me, that smirk still on his face.

"So no kissing your neck, huh?"

I shook my head.

"Nope. My neck is officially off limits."

The look in his eyes told me that he was laughing at me while he spoke.

"Really?"

I crossed my arms, and narrowed my eyes as I nodded slowly. I had never enjoyed being laughed at when I didn't understand the reason.

"Yeah. Really."

He smiled, and leaned closer, causing me to lean back to slightly.

"You know. A bad thing about my character is that I'm always the one to cross, and ignore limits."

My mouth dropped open in shock, and he quickly pressed his lips to mine, causing me to fall backwards on the bed.

So now Gaara was on top of me pinning me in between his body and the mattress.

I was starting to get light headed when Gaara suddenly 'ooffed", and turned to look behind him. I sat up as much as possible to see his back, and then fell back to the bed as I laughed in relief.

Butterball was perched on top of Gaaras back.

"Saved by the Panda."

Gaara smirked down at me, a teasing light in his eyes.

"For now."

I faked my horror.

"Oh no. I'll have to be careful."

I laughed, and Gaara stood. I sat up in time to see Butterball slide off of Gaara's back onto the floor. I smiled, and shook my head.

"I think that Butterball had to use the bathroom"

Gaara nodded.

"Apparently. I'll take him with me so Temari can see him."

I nodded.

"Okay. I think that I'll sleep a little more."

Gaara looked at me sternly.

"Sleep? Who needs sleep? Besides, wont the others be up soon?"

I smiled, and shook my head.

"Misa might. Salem, and Mona will sleep until someone wakes them up. I don't know about Toru."

He nodded.

"Kankuro doesn't get up until around noon each day either, so I understand."

He stopped suddenly, and gave me a curious look.

"Would you like to go with me? I have a little work to do, but otherwise I'm free the rest of the**"**Did Ihuyou yesterday?"

rt I looked at him startled.

**"N **day."

I smiled.

"How about you get finished, and then come back here. Because one, I don't think that you want me to punch your secretary in the nose. And two, I don't think that you would get any work done with me there."

Gaara smirked.

"Probably not. Alright, I'll come back and get you."

He stopped.

"I have an idea: you girls don't have outfits for tonight do you?"

I shook my head no. He nodded sagely. "We can go to the market here. I've never gone myself, but from what Temari says they should have some stuff."

I smiled.

"We'd have to take the other girls with us, and Salem will tag along if Toru's coming."

He grimaced.

"So much for my day alone with you."

I laughed.

"It's alright, we'll sneak off later tonight."

He smirked.

"Good. At least I get some alone time with you."

He looked outside, and sighed.

"I have to get to work if I plan to be back in two hours."

He walked closer to me and kissed my forehead.

"I'll see you in a little bit."

I smiled.

"Okay. Don't forget Butterball. You can make the Sniffing Man babysit him while you work."

He smiled.

"I would but his sniffing might scare Butterball."

I laughed, and he bent to pick the panda up. He walked to the balcony doors, and opening them, walked out into the sunlight. He looked back at me and smiled.

"You might want to wake everyone up if they're going to be ready by the time I get back."

I nodded, and smiled at him.

"Okay. I'll do that as soon as you leave."

He nodded, and then turned and jumped off the balcony. I sighed, and went to shut the doors. I then went to get ready for the d**ay. **


	18. Chapter 18

_i!sorry about the wait! Work has taken up all of my time. SORRY about the mess ups. Enjoy!_

_Like I've said before I do NOT own Naruto!_

I was lying on my bed listening to the frantic slamming of door. I had woken everyone up after I had finished dressing. All of the girls had been ecstatic. Salem not so much. But he was going along anyways. Most likely to spend more time with Toru.

We had ate a breakfast of cereal, which Salem complained would be gone in an hour, and that he would be hungry again. Mona had laughed and said that he should cook something then. Salem had looked apauled and I had chocked on the bite of cereal that I had just taken trying to yell that we didn't need to be the cause of the entire village burning down. After that statement, and the laughter had died down they had all began to get ready to leave.

Which now left me bored. So here I was,lying on ,my bed, staring at the ceiling. I let my eyes drift close for a few minutes. I wasn't tired, just sick of looking at the plain,flat surface. The back of my eyelids seemed more appealing.

A few more minutes later I was starting to doze just for the fact of having nothing else to do,when something new caught my attention. I still heard the frantic running and slamming of doors,but it sounded like the wind was blowing inside the room now. I sighed as I remembered that I hadn't locked the balcony doors. The wind must have blown them over. I wasn't getting up to shut them either.

A few seconds after that thought I felt the bed dip, and someone curl up beside me. My eyes snapped open and I caught a glimpse of Gaaras hair as he wrapped his arms around my waist and snuggled his face into my neck.

I smiled. "How did your work go?"

He groaned. "It took longer then I expected. Oh. And I left Butterball with Temari."

I was having trouble hearing him since his voice was muffled by my neck.

"Um,okay. So what does she think of our little panda?"

I felt Gaara frown before he answered.

"She thought that he was,as she put it 'the cutest thing that she had ever seen' and she explained that in a very annoying,high pitched voice."

I laughed at his disgusted tone.

"I figured that that would be her reaction."

Gaara grumbled and snuggled more into me. I smiled.

"Don't get to comfortable we have to go."

His arm around my waist tightened.

"I think we should stay here a bit longer."

I smiled, and shook my head.

"You promised the other girls that we would go shopping. You'll get mauled if we don't go now."

He mumbled something about his bright idea,and sat up with a sigh.

"Fine. Since I'm here we might as well go."

He held his hand out to help me up, and after pulling me up, led me towards the door to get the others.

He paused before pushing the door open,and turned to me.

"I'll be glad when the others get here. I won't have to deal with the rest of your friends anymore."

I smiled at him,and reached past him to push the door open.

We were back at the hotel now getting ready. The shopping had gone well. All four of us girls had found our outfits for the party. Salem had found a sword stand almost as soon as we walked into the market. Leaving poor Gaara alone with four girls that were looking at clothes. He truthfully didn't seem to mind as long as I was beside him. Which was almost the entire time.

Misa at one point disappeared, and had come back holding a small paper sack. Mona asked what was in it, and Misa had replied that it was a secret.

We had spent the rest of the day just looking at random things. Salem had rejoined us after about 20 minutes and was carrying a sword. I looked at him disapprovingly.

"WHY do you need another sword?"

He smiled, and shrugged.

"I don't know. But this one was cool,and it was a good price."

I shook my head.

"Okay. But I'm not finding a place for you to put it."

He had nodded, and then went back to talking to Toru.

Gaara hadn't said more then three words since we had left and it had worried me a bit. I had kept looking sideways at him, and he was always either looking at me,or at the sky,or at the people that were passing us by.

When we were walking back to the hotel o asked him quietly if anything was wrong. He had shaken his head before answering.

"Not really. I'm just not a shopping person. It kind of annoys me actually."

I turned towards him,and placed my hands on my hips a glare on my face.

"Then why did you suggest going?"

He looked at me sheepishly.

"Because I figured that you would be going shopping anyways, and I wanted to spend time with you."

I smiled.

"I'm glad that you went with me. Though if you hadn't been there then I wouldn't have stayed as long."

He nodded.

"You were finished quicker then the other girls."

I smirked.

"I knew what I was looking for. I'm pretty quick at shopping because I have what I need planned out in my head before I even go to buy the things."

Gaara returned my smirk.

"I don't think that I'll go shopping with your friends anymore. They took forever."

I smiled, and  
shook my head.

"They have to look at EVERYTHING to make sure that they get what they want."

He glanced at the group that was far in front of us, and nodded.

"Apparently."

We were in sight of the hotel now, and I looked back at Gaara.

"Are you going to come in?"

He shook his head.

"I need to make sure that Temari and Kankuro are getting ready. Plus the leaf ninjas should be at my house by now."

I smiled.

"That'll make Mona happy. She's been wanting to see Sai since she heard that he would be here."

He nodded.

"Kankuro's been the same way about Misa. He may be up in the room right now waiting on her."

I smiled.

"I think that that will be okay. At least with her. As long as she's ready by the time we leave."

I was on the steps of the hotel now, and was eye level with Gaara. He smirked, and leaned in to kiss me. I pulled away first.

"Gaara you need to go remember?"

He smiled and leaned in again. I put my hand over his mouth.

"Nope. No making out in the street."

I smiled as he grumbled.

"You'll see me tonight,and I have to get ready."

He nodded.

"Fine. I guess I have to leave you then."

I smiled at him, and he looked at me a little longer before disappearing.

Gezz, these ninjas and their disappearing acts

I walked into the room to see Salem sitting on the couch. I went and plopped down beside him with a sigh. He looked at me, and smiled.

"Hi."

I smiled back at him.

"Hi. Where did you hide the other girls?"

He smirked and a teasing look came into his eyes.

"I threw Mona out a window, locked Misa in her room, and Toru is taking a nap."

I laughed.

"That's lovely."

Salem nodded.

"Yap. And if that was true I wouldn't have to go to this stupid party tonight."

I smiled.

"That's true. We'd have to sneak you out of Suna and rush you back to Aubry's. Especially with Sai wanting to see Mona tonight. He may want revenge and try to kill you"

I paused and then glared.

"Death by paint."

Salem laughed.

"Is that what you would put on my tomb stone Little Sister?"

I laughed, and nodded.

"Of course."

He laughed a moment before raising an eyebrow.

"Hey Ria? Have you brushed your hair at ALL since we've been here?"

I reached up and touched the tangled ponytail, before giving him a sheepish look. He groaned.

"Go get me your brush."

I bit my lip, and he sighed a moment before standing up. He went and knocked on a door, and Mona peeked out with a glare. Salem said something to her and she left briefly. She handed him something, and then slammed the door in his face.

Salem turned back to me, and I saw a brush in his hand.

"Did I ever mention that I don't like her?"

I smiled as he sat down again.

"Only a few thousands times."

He smiled and pointed to the floor. I sighed and moved to the floor. He began to untangle my ponytail and I winced as it pulled out some of my hair.

"Good grief Ria! Your hair is so tangled that I might have to cut the hair thing out."

I ground my teeth together as he yanked at the tangled mass.

About 5 minutes later he had given up and just cut the ponytail holder, and had separated my hair into sections. He sighed as he tried to pull the brush through the first section.

"I'm going to cut your hair one of these days. This is horrible. I'm not Die, I can't create magic with hair. I think I'm going to have to cut some of these knots out."

My eyes widened. Giving Salem a pair of scissors and letting him anywhere near my hair was more then a bit scary.

After what seemed like hours he finally sat back with a sigh.

"Alright Little Sister. Your finished. It looks better, considering."

I looked at him and flinched as I saw all the hair in the brushes bristles. One of these days I was going to go bald...maybe. I stood up and looked at the clock. I barely had an hour to get ready. I turned and leaned down to hug my adopted brother.

"Thanks Salem. My hair would be a rats nest without you."

He smiled.

"Yeah you better appreciate me. That's hard work let me tell you."

I laughed, and made my way to my room to get dressed.

As soon as the door to my room was shut I began dressing. We had all decided to wear kimonos to the festival. Misa and Mona had mask with there's and Toru and I had come with shoes. Which I couldn't find at the moment. Of course.

I soon found that wearing a kimono was easier said then done. After I had FINALLY gotten the outfit to fit right I had trouble moving. I sighed, and began to look for my shoes.

A few minutes later there was a knock on my door, followed by Misa and Mona coming inside. I smiled at them.

"Hey girls. What's up?"

Misa smiled before answering.

"We actually have a question to ask you."

I nodded.

"Okay?"

Mona then took over.

"Have you thought about Toru maybe coming to work at Aubry's?"

I paused and then nodded.

"Yeah. Briefly."

Mona nodded.

"Well Misa and I were talking about it and we thought that all of us could talk to Aubry about it. With all three of us insisting on it he won't say no."

I frowned.

"Don't you think that she's a little to shy?"

Mona grinned.

"We'll just have to force her out of that."

I sighed.

"Truthfully. It's not just her that I'm worried about. Salem would have to agree to her working and I don't think that he will."

Misa frowned in confusion.

"Why not?"

I sighed and answered her question with one of my own.

"Misa, how many times has a guy pulled you into his lap?"

Misa paused and then shrugged.

"I've lost count."

I nodded.

"Exactly. And Salem is the type of guy that is EXTREMELY protective about the people that he cares about. And Toru happens to be one of those people.

Salem is one of Aubry's best friends and so even with all three of us asking about Toru working, if Salem doesn't like it then Aubry wont hire her."

Mona blew a raspberry.

"Stupid protective guys. They need to learn that us girls can take care of ourselves."

I sighed.

"I don't think that Toru would be able to."

Mona glared at me.

"We could teach her. It wouldn't be that hard."

I shrugged.

"We can try. You know that I'm always up for a challenge."

They both laughed a moment before Misa asked a question.

"Hey Ria? Is Gaara one of those guys that wont let you work at Aubry's if you two get really serious?"

I shook my head.

"I don't think so. He doesn't like to force me into, or out of things that I really want."

Misa nodded, and Mona snorted.

I looked at her confused and she smirked.

"So he wont cross or IGNORE the limits you put up? Pushing you into something that you told him no about?"

I felt my face turning red, and stuttered.

"H...how did you hear about that?"

She chuckled.

"I'm right next door Ria. After that big bang earlier this morning that woke me up, there really wasn't anything else to do this morning but listen to you two talk."

She finally busted out laughing, and Misa looked between us confused.

Once Mona calmed down she finished her story.

"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop Ria. It's just that some of it I couldn't help but hear."

I smiled sheepishly, and nodded.

"I guess we weren't really being very quiet."

I looked at Misa.

"Did you hear anything?"

She grinned.

"Nope! I'm next door to Mona and I sleep like a rock anyways. So I STILL don't know what's going on."

I smiled, and jumped slightly as there was a knock on the door. Salem's Voice following soon after.

"If you girls are finished with your chick talk, we need to get going. The others are probably already waiting for us. If we don't hurry then we'll be late."

I rolled my eyes, and Mona began yelling back.

"We're GIRLS. We're always fashionably late. Stupid!"

Salem jerked the door open, and stomped over to Mona a glare on his face. He stopped right in front of her and she had to tilt her head to look at him.

"We're leaving NOW. And if you don't think so then you are very much mistaken."

He turned to look at me.

"Ria get your shoes. They're sitting on your bed."

I turned, and raised an eyebrow as I saw my shoes setting in plain sight on my bed.

As I slipped on my shoes Salem turned back to Mona.

"Do you have everything that you need?"

Mona crossed her arms, and stared at him with a haughty look.

"I'm not telling you if I do or if I don't. And you can't do anything about it either."

Salem's smirk was not pleasant as he replied.

"Watch me."

After he said this he grabbed Mona around the waist, and threw her over his shoulder. Mona screaming the entire time, as she beat against his back. Salem turned to walk out of the room talking to us as he walked towards the door.

"Ria, Misa, grab the things that you need and meet us outside. Toru COME ON were leaving!"

I saw Toru pause at the sight of Mona over Salem's shoulder, but after a quick shake of her head she followed him outside.

I quickly grabbed the bag that tied onto my dress, and looked at Misa who had already tied hers on, and was holding Mona's.

We then both ran after our self-appointed leader.

It turns out that we STILL didn't get there before all of the others. All of the ninjas excluding Gaara, Sai, and Kankuro had already started walking around the town looking at all of the booths. I smiled as I noticed Butterball sitting on Gaaras shoulder. Temari had put him in a tux shirt and tie which he looked extremely uncomfortable in. I smiled at Gaara and he smirked back at me a moment before frowning as he noticed Mona slung over Salems shoulder.

When they were a few feet away Salem swung Mona down and pushed her into Sais arms.

Sai automatically wrapped his arms around her, but had trouble holding on to her when she turned and began almost hissing at Salem.

"If you ever do something like that again I swear that i'll..."

Salem cut her off by laughing harshly.

"Believe me. I have no intention of carrying you anywhere EVER again. You're heavy."

I grimaced and knew that she would have jumped at Salem if Sai hadn't had his arms holding her back.

Misa had been strangely quiet through out this entire exchange but was now standing in between Salem and Mona trying to be the peacemaker.

"No more fighting. We're hear to have fun remember? Sooo, let's go have fun."

She then grabbed both Mona's and Kankuros hands and dragged them towards the festival lights. Sai following them close behind.

Salem made an annoyed noise, and after grabbing Torus hand dragged her in the opposite direction that the others had gone leaving me alone with Gaara and Butterball.

I sighed and turned a smile at Gaara.

"See? WE didn't have to ditch anyone. THEY ditched us."

I grabbed his hand and began to walk in the direction that the others had gone.

Gaara smirked a moment before speaking.

"So why was Salem carrying Mona over his shoulder?"

I sighed.

"They just don't like each other, and he got irritated at her and showed her who was in charge basically."

Gaara smiled.

"She didn't seem happy when he put her down."

I shook my head.

"No she was embarrassed. She'd been waiting to see Sai for a while and had probably been planning her entrance, and then Salem ruins it by being...well Salem."

Gaara shook his head.

"I don't get why she would want to impress him when he's already in love with her. But I'm new at all of this so that's probably not surprising."

I smiled.

"You know enough. And what you don't know you seem to learn really quick."

He glanced sideways at me, and smirked.

"I'm a ninja. We have to learn fast."

I laughed, and then let the sounds and smells of the festival surround us as we walked.

I was enjoying just walking with Gaara when I heard my name being yelled and then almost fell to the ground as I was tackled in a bear hug. The only thing that kept me from falling in the dirt was Gaaras arms holding me up. I saw Gaara glare at the overly hyper ninja that that had now backed off, and was holding the hand of a blushing girl.

I smiled.

"Hi Ru Ru."

He grinned.

"Hi Ri! How'd you like my entrance?"

I laughed.

"One of your most dramatic yet."

He grinned.

"Good."

He stopped for a minute before pushing the blushing girl forward. Which just made her blush a deeper red.

"This is Hinata."

He looked at her.

"Hinata this is Ria, and you've already met Gaara a couple times."

Hinata ducked her head.

"I.I.'s nice to meet you Ria."

I smiled.

"It's nice to meet you too Hinata."

She smiled shyly up at me, and then Naruto put his arm around her waist. I don't think that the girl could get any redder. Though I had to admit that she looked extremely happy. Naruto's grin widened as he saw her blush deepen, and I smiled at the overactive blonde. I could feel Gaara's disdain as he stood beside me, holding me tightly to his side. I looked up at him and noticed that he was glaring at Naruto, who had now become oblivious to everyone around him excluding Hinata.

I nudged him and he looked at me a moment before sighing and explaining his irritation.

"Naruto is a good friend, but sometimes he can be annoying."

I laughed softly.

"Don't worry about it. He'll see something that will catch his attention soon and run off. He's still like a little kid."

I smiled again as I watched him tell Hinata an outlandish story. Dramatizing everything possible. And Hinata listening avidly.

Gaara smirked.

"Why wait? Let's sneak off while he's talking. In this crowd we can loose him quickly."

I laughed.

"We CAN'T because you are the Kazekage, and you have to be diplomatic. Otherwise we COULD."

He grumbled, and Naruto finally looked back at us.

"We're going to get some Ramen. Do you two wanna come with us?"

I smiled.

"No thanks Ru Ru. We're not really that hungry yet. How about you two go on ahead and we'll catch up with you later."

Naruto's grin widened. Apparently that had been the answer he was hoping for.

Hinata smiled shyly and muttered a goodbye as Naruto dragged her into the mass of people.

Once they were gone I looked at Gaara and saw him looking around frantically.

After a few minutes he looked at me with a smirk, and dragged me towards a building.

I frowned at the seemingly abandoned building and looked back at him curiously. He just smirked at me and handed me Butterball. He then swung me up in his arms and jumped onto the roof.

Instead of setting me down like I thought he would he sat down, and kept me on his lap.

Once we were sitting I let Butterball go and he wandered off to explore.

I turned and smiled up at Gaara. He smirked back, and wrapped his arms around me.

"You don't mind missing the festival do you?"

I smiled, and snuggled more into his chest.

"Nope. I'm happy right here. And I'm kinda sick of all of those people."

Gaara smiled.

"You haven't even met Sasuke or Shikamaru yet. Or some of the other ninjas."

I smirked.

"Yap and I don't mind keeping it that way."

I felt Gaara's body shake, and realized that was his way of laughing. I smiled.

"Besides. I think that if I saw this Sasuke guy that I might punch him in the nose for all of the trouble he's caused."

Gaara nodded.

"I don't blame you for THAT."

We stayed silent for a bit, just sitting on the roof of the abandoned building, watching the people below us scurrying around. Looking at the booths, or talking to each other.

A few minutes of the silence later and a wift of some exotic food filtered up to where we were sitting, and my stomach growled unexpectedly.

I grimaced, and Gaara smirked.

"I guess we have to get something to eat."

I groaned.

"Back into the throng of people we go."

He smiled.

"We can come back here to eat. I don't want to be seen anyways. So we'll go get our food and then make our escape."

I laughed.

"That sounds good to me."

I stood up and stretched. My legs had gone numb from sitting in one position for so long, and I groaned as they began to tingle. I looked at Gaara, who was having no apparent trouble as he moved around trying to get Butterball. He saw me watching him and looked at me questioningly.

"What?"

I snook my head.

"Nothing. I was just wondering how your legs aren't stiff. Mine feel asleep and I didn't have a person sitting on them."

He smiled.

"When we're children we're taught endurance by a multitude of different exercises. Sitting in one place and being completely still was one of the exercises. Our sensei's said that it was training. Most of the children called it torture."

I laughed.

"I bet that you never had training with someone sitting on your lap before though."

He smirked, and walked over to me. He put Butterball on his shoulder, and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"That's true. But I can tell you that I enjoy having you in my lap much more then any ninja training."

I smiled up at him, and saw his eyes soften as he leaned towards me. His lips were barely a breath away when my stomach gave the loudest grumble it ever made.

It amazed me that it could even make a sound with all the butterflies inside it. Much less that loud of one.

I laughed nervously, and buried my head into his chest.

I heard the smile in his voice as he spoke.

"Right. Food first THEN kissing. I'll remember that."

I looked up at him sheepishly and saw that his eyes were also smiling.

He gave Butterball to me and picked me up before jumping off of the roof.

Once safely on the ground he took Butterball from me and grabbed my hand.

"Now let's find you something to eat so that your stomach will stop yelling at me."

I laughed, and let him lead me through the throng of people.


	19. Chapter 19

**sorry about THE WAIT ON THIS! MY LOVELY INTERNET HAS BEEN HAVING AN ATTITUDE GALORE. AND THAT IS NOT OKAY!** **ANYWAYS! I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. AND I'M SORRY FOR ANY ERRORS IN THIS STORY. THANKS FOR READING AND ENJO. REVIEW IF YOU WANT. I DO NEED SOME FEEDBACK ON WHETHER OR NOT THIS CHAPTER IS TOO LONG. I'VE JUST BEEN ADDING ON TO MY COMPUTER UNTIL I COULD POST IT ONTO FANFICTION. HOPEFULLY IT'S NOT TO MUCH OF A HASSLE FOR ALL OF YOU TO READ. THERE ARE MORE THEN A COUPLE OF CHAPTER IN THIS DOCUMENT. IF THAT'S A PROBLEM LET ME KNOW AND I'LL CHANGE IT WHEN I GET A CHANCE. THANKS**

Dinner didn't turn out like we hopped it would.

We had just gotten our food when I heard a voice that I didn't recognize. So it didn't surprise me when I saw that I didn't know the person that was walking towards us. What DID surprise me however was the guys appearance.

He was wearing a green jumpsuit and his hair was cut in a bowl cut. What caught, and held my attention though was the bushy eyebrows that made my hands twitch to take a pair of tweezers to the caterpillar looking things and just go plucking happy.

As I stood there trying to listen to the conversation that the eyebrow guy was having with Gaara I noticed for the first time a small girl standing behind him, hiding herself from view.

I smiled at her and she ducked her head in embarrassment.

The green guy seemed to remember the girl and suddenly pulled her in front of him, introducing her.

"This is my girlfriend Megan. Megan this is Gaara, the Kazekage and Ria."

I tried to keep my expression blank as I began trying to remember if maybe I actually HAD meet this person and don't remember...Surly I would remember the eyebrows. So I was at a complete loss at how he knew my name.

As my mind wandered through all the possibilities that I could think of I noticed that Gaara was listening politely, holding his food. It would be cold by the time he got to eat it.

I sighed inwardly as the green person rambled off on some other story. Next time Gaara and I went on a date we were going to go somewhere SECLUDED. Like a deserted island for a picnic.

I sighed. Knowing our luck people would begin to think that we were lost and begin to look for us. Stupid, friendly, overly helpful people.

I was still inwardly ranting when Gaara shook my shoulder, and I looked at him startled. He looked concerned and I noticed that the green guy was gone.

"You weren't answering. I've called your name twice now."

I smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't really listening I was having a...well basically a pity party. Sorry. Di I miss anything?"

He shook his head.

"No Lee just wanted to talk to me. I haven't seen him in a while and any other time it would have been nice to see him, but right now I really didn't want to see anyone."

I smiled.

"So that was the green guys name? Lee?"

Gaara smiled.

"Green guy, huh? Well I'll have to tell him that he definitely leaves an impression."

I snorted.

"Well, yeah. He looked like a exercise instructor with big eyebrows."

I saw Gaara's body shake as he silently laughed, and I had to pat his back so that he didn't choke on the bite of food that he had just taken.

Gaara's face was completely red when he turned and smiled at me.

"Yap. I'll definitely have to tell Lee about your thoughts...But not tonight."

He looked around.

"Lets get out of here before someone else starts trying to talk to us."

He grabbed my hand and started walking back the way we had come.

The building was in sight when I saw Sakura walking beside a black haired boy. He had his arm around her and was looking down at her with a slight smile.

I poked Gaara as they turned a corner.

"Was that Sasuke?"

He nodded.

"How did you figure that out?"

I shrugged.

"He kinda looks like Itachi. The hairs different, and his face isn't as creased with worry but you can tell that they're related."

I smirked up at him.

"Both Sakura and Sasuke look happy being alone, so we probably shouldn't disturb them. You know, to ask them where Naruto and the others are."

Gaara smirked catching on.

"You're right. They did look to happy to disturb. So lets go to a higher place. That way we could find them easier."

I laughed, and Gaara swung me back into his arms, so he could carry me back onto the roof. Once back on the roof, Gaara sat me down gently and took Butterball out of my arms. He put him down on the ground, and I watched as he scampered off. I turned back, and found Gaara staring at me.

"What?"

He shook his head, and hugged me to him. "Nothing. I was just thinking that you are one of the prettiest girls that I've seen."

I felt my face suddenly heat up with a blush, and buried it quickly in his chest. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself, and looked back up at him with a smile.

"Only ONE of them?"

He smirked and leaned towards me.

"Well you ARE the prettiest girl in MY world."

After he said this he pulled me closer and kissed me. It was a deep unhurried kiss, since there was nobody around to interrupt us.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and pressed my body closer to his. He had his arms around my waist, and he began to rub circler motions on my back.

We soon had to break apart to breathe, and I smiled up at him as I gasped for air.

Gaara leaned down to kiss at my neck, and I laughed as, instead of finding skin he found cloth. I heard him mumble, and then felt his fingers trying to undo the ribbon that held the neckline closed. When it finally came undone, I saw his brief smile before he began to gently bite, and kiss at my neck, and shoulder. He began to kiss lower, and when he got a couple inches below my collarbone I started and jumped away.

I saw the confusion, and then hurt in his eyes as he stumbled backwards. He looked at my face for a moment, and then turned his back to me. I walked behind him, and wrapped my arms around his waist, rubbing my face in between his shoulder blades.

"I'm sorry Gaara. I was just startled., and I'm really not ready for that intimate of things yet. I didn't mean to hurt you."

As I stood there, nuzzling into his back , he relaxed. After a moment he turned towards me, and pulled me to rest against him.

"No Ria. _I_ should be the one apologizing. I...I really didn't know what happened. It was like my body had a mind of it's own, and knew what it wanted to do."

He shook his head, and I smiled.

"I'm going to take a guess and say that your instincts are taking over for your lack of experience."

He shrugged.

"I don't know. But I kind of enjoy knowing what I'm doing."

He smiled, and touched the spot he had been kissing. I was sure that it was red, and starting to swell. I was also sure that if Mona saw me tomorrow that I would get teased. But for tonight I was glad for the high necked kimono, that would hide the marks.

I was brought back to the present by the feel of Gaara's hands sliding down my face to below my collarbone, laying it above my heart.

I saw him smile, as he reached for my hand, bringing it to _his_ heart. I tilted my head slightly, trying to figure out what he was trying to do.

It took me a moment to realize, and then I grinned at him.

"Our heartbeats match."

He smiled, and nodded.

We stood there for a while, feeling each others heartbeats. I looked at Gaara, and noticed that he was about to speak, but at that exact moment there was an explosion behind us.

I jumped, and whimpered as I saw the bright lights. I hid my face in Gaara's chest, trying to ignore the different colored explosions. I hadn't realized that there was going to be fireworks during this celebration.

Gaara's arms went around me, and I felt his fingers running through my hair soothingly. I knew that he was curious as to why I was shaking like a cold chihuahua, but at that moment I couldn't explain. The explosions were to loud.

They soon began to shoot off a bunch of fireworks simultaneously. During this time I covered my ears, and pressed my face more into Gaaras chest. I felt him stagger from the unexpected pressure, but he soon regained his balance, and hugged me tighter. He was trying his best to comfort me, but I still couldn't stop the sob that ripped it's way from my throat.

I was shaking when the explosions had started, but as my crying got worse, so did my shaking. I heard a whistling firework, and shuddered. Apparently they still had some more of the wretched things to shoot off.

I felt something blocking the air around me and suddenly I couldn't hear the sounds of the explosions anymore.

I stood for a moment as I felt the night air again as the barrier, of what I guessed was sand, fell away. I also felt soft sand beneath my feet instead of the hard roof.

I opened my eyes, and looked around. We were standing on a sandy cliff on the outskirts of Suna. I could still see the colorful lights that were the being shot off in the village, but I noticed that I couldn't hear the explosions.

I looked up at Gaara to see a worried expression in his face. I wiped at the tears that were still flowing from my eyes, and tried to smile as Gaara placed a hand on my cheek. I tried to stop myself from crying, but a sob suddenly escaped my throat.

I quickly pressed my fist to my mouth, trying to prevent any other unexpected sounds.

I heard him sigh, as he pulled me towards him. He lowered both of us to the ground, setting me on his lap. Once settled, he began to rock me, while he stroked my hair.

I frowned at this. I was a mature, self-reliant, young lady. And here I was acting like a 6 year old. Crying in a persons lap as they tried to comfort me. With that realization, I tried to calm down but found that, that only made me cry harder.

I finally gave up, and just let my tears finish falling. They would stop eventually. I hoped.

Fifteen minutes later, and my tears had finally finished falling. I began to take deep breath, trying to calm my unsteady breathing.

I slowly pulled away from Gaara, and moved to look up at him.

His expression was concerned as he stared down at me. But once he saw that I was calm, a portion of that concern lifted.

He searched my face carefully before asking the question that I knew must have been bugging him since I had started bawling.

"Why did you start crying when the fireworks started?"

I sighed, not wanting to tell him. I was about to admit a weakness and I had been taught to never admit to being afraid. He deserved an explanation however. He had spent most of what other people thought to be the best part of a celebration, holding, and trying to comfort me. So I HAD to tell him.

I took a deep breath, and looked off into the distance as I explained.

"I told you that when I was little that Dolly saved me from being killed. But I don't think that I ever said anything about what he DIDN'T save. As far as I know, I'm the only one to survive that night.

There really weren't many people in that village, since most had fled away from the attacks. So no one was around to put out the fires that eventually consumed the entire valley."

I stopped for a second to take another deep breath.

"Fires themselves don't scare me."

I held out my hand, and a flame suddenly appeared on my index finger, proving my point.

But during my stay at the Akatsuki, I saw what had caused the village fires...and heard the noise that went with them. They used bombs to start all of those fires. Fireworks sound almost exactly like those bombs."

I closed my hand into a fist, and the small flame disappeared

We sat in silence for a moment, as the darkness became denser.

Gaara suddenly sighed, and pulled me closer to him.

"I wish you would have told me about all of this earlier. I would have discouraged them from having any fireworks."

I shook my head.

"I don't want them missing out because of me."

He nodded.

"Then we could have left before they set the first ones off."

I nodded.

"I guess that would have worked."

I turned to look at him and noticed that his face was turned away from me. I swallowed and ducked my head.

"I'm sorry Gaara. I'm not used to telling people about my fears. Excluding Salem and Dolly I really don't really say much to anybody about my personal life."

He hugged me tighter, and nuzzled his face into the top of my head.

"You don't have to apologize Ria, I was just thinking about on other festivals and celebrations...I think that we'll just have to sneak off, and hide at some point."

I shook my head and pulled away.

"That makes you unable to see them though. I don't want to be a burden on you. I want you to be happy. If I have to leave I can go by myself."

He smiled.

"Ria, my heart, you are NOT, and never WILL be a burden to me. I'm happiest when I'm with you."

His face became serious.

"And I do NOT want you going somewhere alone when you're upset. I'd rather you not go ANYWHERE alone, now that I think of it. Even if you CAN defend yourself. But when you're upset you're not as aware of your surroundings as you would be if you were calm."

I nodded.

"Okay. I wont go hiding alone if I'm upset."

He nodded.

"Good, I wont have to worry as much then."

He sighed, and pushed my head back to his chest.

As soon as my skin touched the cloth of his robe I pulled away laughing. He looked down at me confused.

I smiled at him.

"I cried to much. The front of your shirt is soaking."

He smiled, and moved me so I wasn't sitting in his lap. I felt him moving, and turned around to see what he was doing.

He had taken off his Kazekage robes, and was now wearing a crimson and brown outfit.

He smiled, and laid the robes on the ground. He then pulled me towards him again, so that I was leaning against his chest.

"Let's try this again." I smiled, and leaned on him more. His arms tightened, and e rested his check on the top of my head.

"Better?"

I sighed, contentedly.

"Much better."

I was starting to doze when I noticed how high the moon was.

"Gaara?"

"Hm? What love?"

I smiled at the word of endearment.

"How late is it?"

He was quiet for a few minutes thinking about it.

"Well looking a the moon it's about 2:30." I jumped to my feet, but feel back onto him again. He made an 'oof' sound and brought his arms around back around me to help me up.

Once standing he had to steady me as I almost fell again. His voice was calm as he began speaking.

"Ria calm down. They know that you're with me. It's not going to take that long to get back., and the festival is still going on. Your friends probably aren't even back at the hotel yet."

I sighed and fell against him.

"I thought for sure that I was going to get a speech when I got back."

Gaara looked confused, and I snickered.

"Salem is one of those protective big brothers types. He doesn't like it when I'm late, and will probably come and see me as soon as I get back, to make sure I didn't go insane when the fireworks started."

Gaara nodded.

"Would you like to go back then?"

I nodded slowly.

"I probably need to."

I looked towards the light of town, and for the first time realized that I hadn't seen Butterball since we left the festival. I looked at Gaara, my eyes wide.

"Gaara? Where's Butterball?"

Gaara smirked, and rolled his eyes. He then pointed to the pile of robes on the sand. There, except for a few black spots that I had thought were shadows, completely blending into the white robes was a sleeping Butterball.

I sighed in relief and then turned to Gaara with a smile.

"So how are we getting home so fast when were outside the village."

He smiled.

The same way that we got here."

He walked over to Butterball, and picked up both the panda and his robes. When he walked back to me I took both robes and panda from him so his hands could be free.

He pulled me towards him, and pressed my face into his chest.

"Keep your eyes closed until you can't feel the wind anymore. I don't want you to get sand into them."

I nodded, and closed my eyes tight. I really didn't want sand in them either.

I felt Gaara moving his hands behind my back and suddenly the wind picked up. I could feel grains of sand hitting my skin, and pressed my face closer to Gaara's chest.

Once the wind died down I opened my eyes, and frowned, before closing them again. It was completely dark. If it wasn't for the fact that I could feel Gaara's arms around me or hear his breathing, I wouldn't have even known that he was there.

I felt the wind again, and opened my eyes. This time I saw Gaara's face illuminated by moonlight. I smiled.

"So let me guess. You use your sand to teliport you places?"

He smirked.

"Something like that."

I looked up at the window that I thought that was my room. It was still dark. Good. That meant that no one was home yet.

I looked back at Gaara.

"There's no one home yet...Would you like to come up?"

He smirked.

"If you want me too."

I smiled.

"Of course I do! There may be a strange person in there. And poor defenseless me could get hurt."

He snorted, and grabbed my hands, leading me upstairs.

Gaara opened the door, and we stood still for a moments waiting for our eyes to adjust to the dark room. We then walked in and I started to look for the light switch. I finally found it, and had to blink at the sudden brightness.

I turned back to Gaara in time to see him put Butterball on the floor. The Panda apparently decided that he was tired, because he scampered off towards my room, nudging the door open with his nose.

I looked back at Gaara, once he dissapered and smiled.

"I guess we wore him out today."

He smirked, and pulled me towards the door that Butterball had just gone through.

Once the door was shut behind us, Gaara took his shoes off, and quickly laid down on my bed.

I smiled at him, and suddenly noticed that there was an envelope on the nightstand that had not been there when I had left that afternoon. I picked it up curiously, and sat beside Gaara as I opened it. I felt him sit up, and put his arms around me, curiously looking over my shoulder.

I quickly pulled the note out of the now open envelope, and sighed in relief. I instantly recognized the writing as Dollys. I was extremely excited to hear from him, so I began to read quickly.

"_**Ria. I'm here with Deidara. We came to see how your trip was going. We were there when the fireworks started and were going to check on you but then the Kazekage disappeared with you. Hopefully he took you somewhere away from the noise. I'm glad to see that the boy is taking care of you. And you seemed happy to be with him. **_

_**I'll have to have a talk with him soon. I didn't get much of a chance last time since he was already unconscious when I saw him. **_

_**I will see you soon, Dear One. I need to make for certain that you are truly fine. Enjoy your Vacation. You deserve one. **_

_**Dolly. **_

I smiled and leaned back into Gaara. He sighed, and rested his chin on top of my head.

"I take it that it was good news?"

I nodded,

"Yeah. It was just Dolly checking up on me basically. Well that and he wants to talk to you."

He sighed.

"I thought that he might. In all of the books I read, most fathers want to talk to the potential boyfriends."

I turned to look at him, a smirk on my face.

"And what books have you been reading Sweetheart? Could these be romance novels?"

His cheeks colored slightly.

"No."

I laughed.

"I never would have thought that you would like mushy lines, and cliché endings hon."

Gaara frowned.

"It's not that I like them Ria. It's just that I don't know how to behave and the last time that I left you I wanted to know how to act around you, and so I asked Temari what I was supposed to say, and do. She then proceeded to give me a stack of romance novels."

I began laughing again, and he pouted.

"In not one of them did the heroin ever laugh at the male lead."

This just made me laugh harder, and I leaned my head back against his chest.

"Oh Gaara, I'm sorry. It's just that romance novels are so cheesy and unrealistic that I can't believe that people read some of them. They're really no good for relationship advice."

He sighed.

"Well then I guess it wouldn't help with how to talk to Sasori would it?"

I shook my head.

"Probably not. Though I'm not to worried about that. I have a feeling that when the time comes that you'll know exactly what to say."

He nodded.

"I just don't want him to tell you, you can't be with me."

I smiled.

"None of my adopted family ever told me what I couldn't do, unless it was a danger to my health of course. And even then I sometimes did it anyways."

He smiled back at me.

"I could see that."

I laughed, and snuggled closer into him.

We were quiet for a few minutes just enjoying the silence, when Gaara suddenly sighed.

I looked up at him questioningly, and he shrugged.

"Your friends are back."

He grimaced.

"Along with Sai and Kankuro. Apparently you're going to have a full house tonight."

I laughed.

"We can stay in here. We don't have to leave the room at all I don't think."

He nodded.

"Good. Because I don't think that I could handle all of those people tonight. "

I smiled and was about to reply when I heard Mona yelling.

"Misa! If you don't stop sucking face with Kankuro, and get up these stairs right now, I'm going to lock you out!"

I heard Misa giggle, and then the door shutting.

I turned to look at Gaara and saw a disgusted look on his face. I laughed.

"What's wrong honey?"

He grimaced.

"My brother is a pervert."

I laughed.

"Why do you say that?"

He shook his head.

"I don't really know how to explain it. You're just gong to have to see for yourself. But believe me. He is a pervert."

I smiled.

"Alright. If you say that he is then I believe you. But I think that Misa can handle it. Besides, he can't be as bad as Sai."

I rolled my eyes and Gaara smiled.

"No. He's not that bad. He just has his moments."

I smirked.

"I think everybody does. You would be surprised if you heard what gossip goes around Aubrys."

He nodded. 'The one time that I was there Misa got pulled into some guys lap."

I looked at him stunned.

"How did you see that? It was dark."

Gaara smiled, and hugged me tighter, looking pleased with himself.

"I can't tell you."

I pouted, and pulled back to look at him.

"Why not?"

He grinned.

"Because it's a secret."

I glared at him, and tried to pull away.

"That's not fair! I told you MY secrets tonight. You can at least tell me ONE of yours!"

He shook his head still smiling, and tightened his grip.

"It's not really a secret, love. It's just a jutsu that I can use." He frowned. "Though at the moment, I'm so tired that I can barely move, much less show it to you."

Now it was my turn to frown.

"I wish you would have said something earlier. I would have let you lay down."

He smiled sadly.

"Why? It's not like I'm going to sleep anyways. I might as well be holding, and talking to you for the short time that you're here."

I sighed, and got up to turn the light off.

When I crawled back onto the bed I pushed Gaara to where he was lying down.

I pulled the covers over the two of us, and snuggled into Gaara's chest. His arms went around me and settled under my kimonos bow.

I frowned. That was going to be an uncomfortable problem. I had never been able to sleep on my stomach, and the bow hindered laying in any other position comfortably.

I needed to get up and change, but Gaara's breathing was slowly deepening, and I wanted him to rest.

I also knew that if I left the bed he would wake up.

I sighed deeply, and tried to wiggle out of the bow, without disturbing Gaara.

I then had a thought that the shorter dress that was under the kimono would be easier to sleep in. With my sleeping habits I had a habit of getting wrapped up in things.

I yanked on the bow, and had FINALLY gotten it undone when Gaara's arms pulled me tighter to him, and he sighed.

"What are you doing, Ria?"

I sighed and leaned into him.

"Trying not to wake you up mostly."

He smiled.

"I figured that. You were being extremely careful not to move the bed, or my arms. What I meant though was: what were you trying to do that you were moving around so much?"

I laughed nervously.

"I was um...well, I was trying to take off this bow, and outer kimono. It's hard to sleep in."

Gaara was silent for a few minutes before he began speaking hesitantly.

"Oh...Do you want me to help you?"

I smiled.

"If you can unwrap the the stupid fabric from the dress then I can squirm out of the outer dress."

He nodded, and sat up, bringing me up with him.

He began to unwrap the fabric. A few minutes later I sighed, and pushed the fabric that had once been a bow onto the floor.

I turned back towards Gaara , and smiled as he looked nervously back at me.

He swallowed.

"Do you want help with the rest?"

I giggled.

"Was there something like this in one of the romance novels you read?"

He blushed lightly.

"Yeah. But...do you?"

I paused, and nodded.

He smiled, and gently pushed my outer kimono off of my shoulders. That also soon fell to the floor. I then felt Gaara's arms wrapping around me, and pulling me down to the bed.

I smiled, and turned towards him.

"Thank you for helping me. I don't think that I'll ever wear a full kimono again. They're to much of a hassle."

He smiled.

"I don't blame you. That did not look comfortable. So do you feel any better now."

I nodded, and opened my mouth to answer but before I could say anything I heard a bang from Monas room. Gaara made a disturbed face, and I laughed before yelling, so that they could hear me through the wall.

"Who's falling off of the bed now?"

I heard Mona laugh, and then Salem was yelling.

"Hey! Quit being dirty in there, and go to sleep."

I heard Mona growl, and then she yelled back.

"Shut-up, jerk! You don't know whats going on! So go jump out the window. Besides, you're just jealous."

I heard Mona laughing, but didn't hear much else because of MY laughing. I looked at Gaara, and giggled at his expression of disgust.

He smirked at me, and shook his head.

"Your friends."

I nodded.

"Yap we're all crazy." I smiled. "But it would be boring otherwise."

I snuggled closer to him, and his arms tightened around me.

It was quiet now and it didn't take long for me to fall back to sleep.

I woke up to Gaara running his fingers through my hair. I snuggled closer into him, not wanting to be awake.

I felt Gaara pull back slightly, and then he was speaking.

"Good morning...Or should I say afternoon. You have slept the day away."

I grumbled, but didn't make a move to look at him.

My voice was rusty with sleep as I spoke.

"What time is it?"

"Around 2:00 in the afternoon."

I sighed.

"Does that mean that I have to get up? Or can we just stay in bed the rest of the day?"

I looked up at him hopefully, and he shook his head with a smile.

"I think that you need to get up. I want to take you to see my house."

I smiled tiredly, and snuggled back into him.

"Okay. I'll get up, and ready in a few minutes."

I felt his body shaking in laughter, and he suddenly rolled us over so that he could hover over me. He began to kiss me, and I responded softly.

He trailed his kisses down to my neck, and I sighed.

He brought his lips back to my mouth and began to speak between kisses.

"No. Get up now...Or else."

I opened my eyes, and smirked at him. My arms going around his neck.

"Or else what?"

A mischevious light came into his eyes, and he bent down to whisper in my ear.

"Or else...I'll tickle you."

I laughed.

"No, you wont."

He looked at me with a smirk, and I suddenly felt his fingers poke my sides, and stomach.

I laughed, and squelled, which Gaara muffled with his kisses. So we didn't wake up my house-mates.

A few minutes later he paused in his assault, and looked at me with a smirk.

"So do you admit defeat, or do I have to attack you again?"

I faked my horror as I replied.

"Oh no! Not more tickling! I don't think that I could handle it!"

I ruined my act by laughing. He smiled, and was suddenly standing beside the bed. I giggled, and sat up, forcing myself to crawl out of my warm covers.

I sighed, and threw him a mock glare.

"Give me a few minutes. I have to change.

He nodded, and went to pick his Kazekage robes off of the floor, as I went to the bathroom to change.

I looked in the mirror, and grimaced at the image that starred back at me. I seriously need a shower.

My eyes were still swollen, and red from crying. My hair was matted from the wind, and I noticed when I ran my hands through it, that it had sand in it.

I looked closer, and gaped at the marks decorating my neck. Well...guess it was high necked shirts for a while.

I went searching through my bag for anything that would cover the dark marks, and came up with a button up, red top. The collar covered all of the marks and was light enough that no one would think much about me wearing it in the Suna heat.

I threw my rats nest of hair up into a ponytail, and walked out of the bathroom to find Gaara staring out of the window.

He turned towards me with a smile, that soon turned into a frown as he scrutinized what I was wearing.

"You covered your neck up again."

I smirked.

"Yap. And that's kinda your fault."

He looked confused, so I explained.

"I have marks on my neck from your kissing."

He smirked.

"Are they still there? I noticed them last night, but I thought that they would be gone by today."

I shook my head.

"Nope. They're still there. Standing out nice and proud. And I really don't feel like getting weird looks, or being teased today. So I hid them."

I had started looking for my shoes while I explained this to him, and finally found them under my bed. I really had to get beepers for them if they were going to keep running off like they were doing.

After I had slipped them on, I turned to Gaara and smiled.

"Alright. I 'm ready when you are."

He smiled, and came towards me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Are you sure you haven't forgotten anything?"

I knew that he was trying to tell me something. I just couldn't figure out what that something was.

I looked up at him thinking, and then shook my head.

"I can't think of anything. But if there's something that YOU can think of, please tell me."

He smiled evilly, and shook his head.

"No. I think that I would rather you figure it out on your own."

I pouted, and began to come up with random guesses.

"Butterball?"

He shook his head, and pointed to the panda lying behind him.

"Not Butterball. Okay. Do I need to put make-up on? I know I look a bit rough."

He frowned.

"No Ria. You look fine."

Now that was a lie. But it wasn't my problem right now. But I couldn't think of anything at ALL that I was forgeting.

"If I give up will you tell me?"

He smirked, and shook his head.

"No. I'm enjoying this game."

I pouted.

"Well I'm not."

He shook his head.

"Try again Ria."

I sighed, and suddenly had an idea. I wasn't going to play fair...but I had to know what it was that I was forgetting.

I softened my eyes, and lowered my lashes. I placed my hands on his chest, and looked up at him, eyes half-lidded.

"Gaara?"

He looked down at me startled as I ran my hands up his chest to his shoulders. Slowly pulling him until our bodies were pressed together.

I pressed my cheek to his, and spoke softly as I ran my fingernails across his hairline, and down his neck. Scratching softly.

I heard him swallow, and felt his heartbeat increase.

"Gaara. Please tell me what I'm forgetting. PLEASE?"

He sucked in a shuttering breath, and I smirked as I pressed my lips to his neck, nibbling softly.

"What am I forgetting Gaara?"

He groaned softly, and his hands that I just noticed were on my hips tightened painfully.

"You...You forgot to tell Salem that you were leaving. He..He would be worried if you didn't tell him."

I smiled against his skin. Success!

I pulled back, and looked at him to find that his eyes were dazed. I laughed softly, and he shook his head as if trying to clear it.

He looked at me surprised.

"That wasn't fair. You cheated."

I smiled.

"All's fair in love and war dearling."

He blinked again, and suddenly his eyes were angry. I pulled back, and opened my mouth to ask what was wrong, but he pushed me away.

I stumbled slightly, but caught myself before I fell.

He turned his back to me, and looked out the window again, his body tense. I frowned, and reached out to touch his arm.

He turned his head to look at me, and I pulled back with a gasp at the anger in his eyes. I had never seen him angry before, and it made me want to take back everything that I had just done.

Gaara pulled open the balcony doors, and moved to lean against the railing, surveying his village in the afternoon sun.

I took in a calming breath, and began to walk towards him slowly.

I stopped behind him, and hesitantly placed my hand on his back. I felt him tense, and I swallowed around the lump in my throat.

"Gaara, I'm sorry I tricked you into telling me. I didn't think..."

He cut my apology off by turning around quickly.

I looked up at him slowly, expecting to see anger in his eyes, but instead saw regret.

He shook his head.

"No. You  
don't have to apologize."

I looked at him confused.

"But aren't you angry at me for making you tell?"

Those words sounded like that of a young child, but at the moment that's what I felt like.

He shook his head.

"No. I was angry at the fact that you SUCCEEDED in making me tell you. Not that you TRIED. You were just playing the game that I had started."

I was still completely confused, and he sighed as he noticed my blank expression.

"I'm a ninja Ria. Not just that but the KAZEKAGE. I know secrets that should NEVER be told to anyone. No matter the method.

What I don't understand is why. WHY were you able to trick that information from me? Why did that WORK?"

I smiled sadly. I was NEVER going to try to trick information out of him again.

"Because you love me. That's the only reason. You love me, and I used that to my advantage to get you to tell me what I wanted to know...I feel really ashamed of myself now."

Never again! It's not worth the guilt.

He looked at me intently.

"Could I do that to you? Make you tell me things that you didn't want me to know?"

I sighed, but nodded.

"Probably. But I doubt that there's anything that you would want to know that I wouldn't be willing to tell you if you asked."

He nodded.

"I thought that love was supposed to make you strong." He looked away. "It makes Naruto strong."

I sighed, and turned his face to look at me.

"It does both. It makes you strong, because it gives you someone that you're willing to use all the strength you have, and then some to protect them. But it makes you weak, because that person can use that love, or BE used against you. It's kinda a win-lose situation."

It was his turn to sigh.

"So it's good to love, but at the same time it's bad? This is confusing. More now then it was before. Now I know what love feels like."

I smiled sadly.

"Do you regret it?" He looked shocked, then smirked.

"Not at all, love. I'll take the good, and the bad. As long as that means that I can be with you."

I smiled at him, and grabbed his hand.

"Come on Gaara. Let's go tell Salem that I'm going to your house."

He smiled, and followed me into the room so that we could go inform my brother that I was going to be gone the rest of the day...so he wouldn't worry.

We were inside his house now. Sitting at the bar, waiting for Temari to make breakfast. We had told Salem, that I was going to Gaara's and then had grabbed Butterball, before Gaara used his sand teloporting thing to transport us into his kitchen.

I now looked at him, and he smiled, excitedly waiting on me to try Temari's cooking. I frowned at him, and decided that even if Temari's cooking was gagging awful, that I would still pretend that it was the greatest meal I had ever had.

That would be a shock for him.

Temari set a tray of muffins on the bar, and smiled at me. Incouraging me with her eyes to try one. I picked one up, and took looked at it. How badly could she have messed up on pre-packaged muffins.

I bit into the muffin, and was aware of Gaara, and Temari watching me intently. I chewed slowly, and bit into something that had a crunch. I swallowed and then smiled.

"These are the most exotic muffins that I've ever had, Temari. Thank you."

She beamed at me, and then turned to Gaara.

"See, Gaara? RIA likes my cooking. SHE has taste. Unlike you and Kankuro."

She smiled at me one last time, and walked out of the room.

Gaara was looking at me, and I grinned at him. He grabbed my wrist, and brought the muffin that I was still holding to his mouth. He took a bite out of it. I bit my lip to keep from laughing as I saw him chew.

I heard a crunch, and broke out into hysterical laughter. He glared at me as he walked over to spit the foul food out of his mouth.

I was still laughing when he sat back down, still glaring at me, his arms crossed.

Once I had calmed down, he started speaking.

"You lied."

I smiled at him, and shook my head.

"Uh uh. I never said that the muffins were GOOD. Just that they were EXOTIC."

I snickered at the shocked expression that was now on his face.

"You did say that didn't you?"

I nodded, still smiling, and he smirked. He took the muffin out of my hand, and laid it on the counter. He then grabbed my hand, and pulled me off the bar stool to stand beside him.

"Come on. I'll show you the rest of the house."

He dragged me through the kitchen door, into what looked like a sitting room. He pulled me through this room without a backward glance, and towards the winding stairs.

"These are the stairs leading to the bedrooms."

I rolled my eyes at the obviousness of this statement. We finally got to the second floor, and began to walk down the door lined hall.

It looked like the hallway went on forever.

Gaara turned towards me, and nodded towards the doors.

"It used to be that when the sand had important visitors that they would always stay in the Kazekages home. So when they built this house they made sure that it had an abundance of rooms."

I smiled, and nodded. Enjoying his explanations.

"Most of the leaf ninjas are staying here for the festival, but normally the rooms aren't used anymore." I looked at him confused.

"Why? Do they enjoy staying in an Inn?"

Gaara shrugged.

"They stopped staying here when my father was Kazekage. He didn't enjoy company."

I frowned, but nodded. I didn't like the cold look that entered his eyes when he talked about his father. I was going to talk to him about it, but he startled me when we came to an abrupt stop by a purple door.

There was a muffled giggle, and I looked at Gaara in surprise.

He grimaced.

"Apparently Temari and Shikamaru haven't left on their date yet."

I smiled, and he led me to another door. This one painted black. It had a sign on it that included a puppet. I giggled.

"Let me guess...Kankuros?"

Gaara smiled, and nodded.

We walked a little bit further, and stopped in front of a blood red door at the end of the hall. I looked around, and saw to the side that there was another staircase.

I turned back to the red door, and Gaara smiled hesitantly.

"My room."

I nodded, and he opened the door, and switched on the light.

I walked in after him, and stopped in the doorway to look around.

It was clean for the most part. Only a few articles of clothing on the floor...And sand.

As I looked around I gasped. It was huge. Over half the size of the sitting room downstairs.

I looked at him, and saw him watching me closely, so I smiled.

"So are all of the rooms this big or are you just the special child."

I was teasing about the last part, and he smiled.

"My room is slightly bigger then my siblings, but not enough that it would make them jealous."

I nodded., and began to look at everything more closely.

The floor was a red wood , which went well with the solid black walls, ceiling, comforter, and pillows.

The desk, dresser, and closet door were all the same red wood as the floor.

There was a comfortable looking chair next to the desk that matched the sand littering the floor.

My eyes crossed a lite blue chest that instantly looked out of place in the dark room.

I looked at Gaara questioningly, and he sighed.

"Before I was born, my mother had a chest made for me to put my things in. All three of us children have one. Temari's is pink: which she hates with a passion. And Kankuro's is yellow. Both of them put their chests up in the attic a few years ago. I haven't gotten around to moving mine yet. Everytime that I think about it, I make an excuse to hold off another couple of days."

I smiled at him.

"Can I look inside of it?"

He smiled softly, and nodded.

I walked over to it slowly, and gently opened the lid.

Inside was an assortment of toys. Everything that a child would normally have scattered around a house. Trains, sail boats, and tons of stuffed animals. One of the animals, I noticed, was more warn then the others.

I picked it up, and saw a few patches , and sand covering it.

I turned at hearing a noise beside me, and found Gaara kneeling next to me, a distant look on his face.

"Who is this?"

He smiled sadly.

"My only friend from childhood. He was the only one that never judged, or condemed me for what I had inside of me."

He looked at me, his expression hurt, and embarresed.

"Is that sad, or what. I'm aknowledging that a stuffed bear was my only friend." He looked away form me, and began to stand up.

I put my hand on his cheek, and turned his face towards mine.

I shook my head.

"No. I think that it's sweet that you were able to find a friend. Even if it was a stuffed teddy bear."

He smiled, and turned his head to kiss the palm of my hand.

"Thank you love. You're very understanding."

I smiled, and shut the lid of the trunk before standing up.

"Thanks for the compliment. But I don't think that I would be to understanding if you left your once best friend in a chest that you were planning to put in the attic."

I placed the bear on the desk, and turned back to Gaara with a smile.

"Now. I want to see what this bed is like that you don't sleep on."

I walked over, and gently sat down, sinking slightly into the mattress.

I giggled, and flopped myself fully onto the mattress, and then groaned.

"How do you not sleep on this? It's literally the comfiest bed I've ever laid on!"

I kicked my shoes off, and saw him smile as I wiggled underneath the covers.

I could deffinitly sleep on this monstrosity of a bed. The only problem was...I sat up, and pointed at Gaara, who was still watching me from across the room.

"You. Come here, and lay down with me." He smirked, and crossed his arms.

"What if I don't? Are you going to make me?"

I narrowed my eyes, and nodded.

"If I have to. But I'm still hoping that you will come over here willingly."

He sat down in the chair by the desk, and I sighed at his stubborness.

I threw the covers back, and walked over to him. He looked up at me as I put my hands on my hips, and smirked when I spoke.

"Now look here your LORDSHIP, Kazekage. YOU were the one that kept me up last night, and YOU were the one that wouldn't let me sleep late this afternoon. So YOU are going to get your butt into that bed and lay down with me."

He didn't make any move to get up, just folded his hands in his lap.

I sighed.

"You're not going to do this the easy way, are you?"

He shook his head, and I growled.

"Fine. Then I guess we do it the hard way."

I grabbed his hands, and pulled hard, making him stumble up, and then I swung around him, and pushed him forward.

He fell onto the bed, and I turned him over, and moved so that I was straddling him.

I smiled down into his shocked face, and stuck my tongue out at him.

"See? I told you that I would make you."

He smirked, and flipped us so that he was lying on top of me.

"How do you know that I didn't LET you?"

I shrugged.

"Either way. I got what I wanted."

I slid my arms around his neck, and pulled him down to kiss me.

He pressed closer to me, and I smiled. Yap. Definitely got what I wanted.

A few seconds later I gently pushed him away.

"Sleep now."

He smiled, and kicked his shoes off. He grabbed the covers, and pulled them over us.

I sighed, and snuggled into him. I still wasn't sure how he wasn't able to sleep on this bed. I was already drifting off.

I was almost asleep, when I felt Gaara press his lips right below me ear.

I sighed.

"Stop."

I felt him smile, and then he was kissing my jaw.

"Stop what, Ria?"

I frowned.

"Stop kissing me."

His smile widened.

"Why?"

My frown deepened.

"Because, I want to sleep."

He began to kiss my neck.

"Then why don't you?"

I sighed again.

"Because, I can't sleep with you kissing me."

He didn't say anything. He just reached a hand up to lower the neckline of my shirt.

Well fine. If he wasn't going to let me sleep, then I might as well join in.

I rolled us, so that I was laying on top of him, and looked down at him.

He smirked.

"Could you not sleep?"

I glared at him for a few seconds, and then smiled evilly.

I leaned down, and pressed my lips to his.

I felt his arms go around my waist, and he pulled me closer to him. This made it harder to move my hands from his chest, but I managed, and threaded my fingers through his hair, pulling gently.

He gasped at the slight tug, and I smirked.

I began to unzip his shirt slightly, and started bitting at certain places. I pulled back for a moment, and grinned at Gaara's stunned expression.

"See? I can play that game too."

He glared at me, but the effect of it was dimmed slightly by the smile that was tugging at the edge of his lips.

He flipped us again, and captured my mouth.

He suddenly grabbed my wrists, and held them above my head with one of his hands. He traced his other hand down my side until he got to my knee.

He lifted his head so that he could see my expression, and then hitched my leg onto his hip.

I gasped, and he smirked a moment before going back to kissing me.

A few moments later he pulled away, and I gasped in air that he had been depriving me.

He smirked at me his breathing uneven.

After a moment he began to kiss my neck again.

Not long after his lips touched my throat we heard Temari yelling outside his bedroom door.

"Gaara?"

He lifted his head, and glared at the door, and I snickered as Temari spoke again. This time her voice slightly irritated.

"Gaara?"

He growled softly, and his voice was raspy as he tried to reply.

"What?"

I snickered, and he cleared his throat.

"What do you want Temari?"

His voice was stronger now, and Temari heard him.

"Shikamaru, and I are going to go for a walk, and I was wondering if you would like Butterball to stay with you and Ria?"

He growled, and rolled off of me to open the door.

I sat up, and saw Temari looking past Gaara, at me. She smiled, and handed Gaara Butterball.

"Bye Ria. Don't have too much fun."

She laughed, and walked down the stairs. A guy with a pony tail following close behind her. I guess that was Shikamaru.

Gaara shut the door quickly, and held Butterball up in the air, so that he was eyes level with him.

"This is the second time that you have interrupted me. And I am not very happy about it. Do you understand that?"

I smiled as Butterball wagged his nub of a tail, and then gasped as Butterball started to pee on Gaara's shirt.

The look of pure horror that crossed his face, was priceless.

I pressed both of my hands to my mouth to keep him from hearing my hysterical laughter.

He sighed, and placed Butterball on the floor.

He turned towards me, and placed his hands on his hips, a glare on his face.

"Are you laughing at me?"

I shook my head no, but then noticed the wet stain on his shirt, and couldn't stop the laugh that forced it's way out of my throat.

I fell back on the bed in a fit of giggles.

Gaara shook his head, and went to the closet to look for a new shirt. Once he found one, he turned back towards me.

"I'm going to change now."

I nodded, and giggled again.

He pulled the shirt off, and threw it onto the floor.

I rolled my eyes. That's a boy for you. All of the dirty clothes get thrown onto the floor.

I looked back at him, and noticed that he still hadn't put his shirt on.

He was looking at me with a slightly hurt look on his face, and I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

I stood up, and walked towards him.

"What's wrong?" I smirked. "Do you need help getting your shirt on?"

He didn't smile back, and I frowned as he searched my face for, I don't know what.

After a few seconds he sighed, and dropped his clean shirt onto the desk.

I placed my hand pn his arm in concern. He was beginning to worry me.

"Seriously, Gaara. What's wrong with you? You were just fine a moment ago, and now you're all depressed."

He shook his head.

"It's nothing. Just something that Kankuro told me."

I narrowed my eyes. "And what exactly did Kankuro say?"

He sighed, and looked at the floor.

"He said that when a girl likes something about a guy that they blush when they see it. And since you didn't blush when I took my shirt off..."

He trailed off, and shrugged.

I made a mental note to beat Kankuro over the head with a chair leg the next time I saw him.

I took a deep breath to steady my voice, and began speaking.

"Gaara, is Misa the first girlfriend that Kankuro has ever had?

He nodded.

"He dated this one girl for about a day, but other then that, yeah. Why do you ask?"

I hissed. "Because your brother is a moron."

Gaara looked at me, startled by the venom in my voice. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my cool, before continuing.

"Gaara. Misa blushes at the slightest of things. She was extremely sheltered before she came to Aubrys. She's truthfully probably never seen a guys chest up close before. And deffinitly not someones who she's interested in.

I on the otherhand, grew up in a house full of guys, and it was vary rare for them to EVER wear shirts. Now I live with Salem, and it's hard to keep ANY type of clothes on him.

So seeing somebodies chest isn't going to embarrass me.

THAT'S what makes someone blush, Gaara, It's not because they like what they're seeing. Just that they're embarrassed."

He stared at me a moment, before smirking slightly.

"You were right. My brother IS a moron."

I smirked.

"I think that I said that already."

He wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me to him.

"Just repeating the obvious. So you don't mind if I run around with my shirt off?"

I frowned.

"That would depend on where you're going without a shirt."

He smirked.

"So I can't run around the village shirtless?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I guess you CAN. But I doubt that you WILL. You would be blushing more then anybody else that saw you."

He smirked.

"Most likely. But YOU wouldn't have a problem with me going shirtless?"

I smirked.

"Now, I didn't say that. I would most likely be slightly irritated with you."

He nodded, and leaned closer to my face.

"Good. That's alright then."

He began to kiss me, and I slid my hands up his shoulders.

He shuddered slightly, and pulled me closer.

After a moment he pulled away, and smirked down at me.

"I have a feeling that if we don't get you some real food, that your stomach is going to start yelling at me again."

I smiled at him.

"You're right. I'm seriously hungry. Do you happen to have anything that Temari DIDN'T cook?"

He nodded.

"I think that we can find something."

He looked over my shoulder, and suddenly glared.

"You're carrying the fluffball though."

I laughed, and quickly went to pick the so called 'fluffball' up.

"He's already gone to the bathroom. I doubt that he'll go again so soon."

Gaara shook his head.

"I'm not taking any chances."

He opened then door, and led me down the stairs to the kitchen.

We were sitting at the bar eating cereal when Temari, and Shikamaru came back in.

Temari instantly noticed that we weren't eating the muffins that she made, and put her hands on her hips.

"Is there a reason why you two are eating junk when I made perfectly good muffins this morning?"

We had planned for this, and so I nodded, and pointed to the empty tray of muffins.

"Butterball was hungry."

We actually hadn't feed the panda any of the muffins, but being the star actor that he is, he went along with the plan perfectly.

When Temari looked at him, he tilted his head to the side, and wagged his nub of a tail.

Temari 'awed', and went to pick him up with a smile.

"Aww's. Did's you eat all the muffins? Did's you?"

She then turned to Gaara, and pointed at him.

"Where is your shirt?"

I smirked, and took another bite of cereal. Gaara pointed at the panda in Temari's arms.

That fluffball in your arms PEED on me. I picked him up and he peed on me."

I was having difficulty swallowing my bite of cereal, and Gaara smirked down at me.

Temari sighed.

"You couldn't put another one on? Or are they all dirty? Seriously Gaara, you're the Kazekage. You need to learn to take care of yourself. Or at least put your clothes into a hamper."

I looked at Gaara, and shrank back a little. It was at that point that I suddenly understood why a lot of people feared Gaara.

He was glaring at his sister, and I saw sand appear out of nowhere. I noticed that it switched back and forth. Like a cat ready to pounce on it's prey.

Shukaku may not have been inside of him anymore, but the sand STILL obeyed his emotions.

Gaara's voice was ice cold as he spoke, and I felt a shiver run up my spine.

"That's enough Temari."

I remembered that I had heard that voice in the Akatsuki. It was the voice of a killer, and I had almost forgotten the sound of death. Hearing Gaara speak like that, made a bunch of memories come rushing back to me.

I saw Temari gulp, and she staggered back, fear in her eyes.

I looked at Shikamaru, and saw that he was prepared to catch her if she fainted.

I heard Gaara draw in a breath, and suddenly the sand fell to the floor, unmoving. Gaara turned away from his sister, and placed a hand on his head, like he suddenly had a headache.

"I'm sorry Temari. I lost my temper for a few minutes."

She nodded, still visibly shaken.

She was still holding Butterball, and I saw her squeeze him sightly as she walked away. Shikamaru following close behind.

I turned back to Gaara, and saw that he still had his head in hands.

"Old habits again?"

He nodded.

"I lived for so long by being cruel to others. They feared me so much that they NEVER told me what to do, or when I was wrong. Temari, and Kankuro hardly talked to me for the first thirteen years of my life. When they did it was always to stop me from killing someone.

I've threatened to kill Kankuro, himself more times the I can remember. During the Chunin exams I came extremely close. If it hadn't been for Temari's begging he would be buried somewhere.

I went where I wanted, and KILLED who I wanted. It was nothing for me to kill ten people a day.

It was like breathing for me. Effortless. It's what I did to survive. And I admit that I loved it.

I loved making it rain blood. The sound of screams, as my victims begged for mercy that I never granted them.

I'm ashamed of what I did now. But...every once, and a while I remember the pleasure it gave me to hold someones life in my hands. To see the agony, and fear on their faces...and then in one movement, end their existance forever.

Sometimes, when I'm asleep I can still hear their screams. In my dreams, I still enjoy the blood raining down from the sky.

Then I wake up, and remember how much of a monster that I am.

Even though Shukaku is gone, I can still hear his voice telling me to kill people. If I think about that for very long then my sand reacts.

I used to think that if Shukaku wasn't around anymore then the sand would lose it's ability to move on it's own. Apparently, I was wrong.

It doesn't jump to protect me like it used to. But somehow, it still warns me. Like it sends a warning into my soul."

He shook his head. "I don't know how to explain it. But I know deep inside of me, that killer is still there. And on certain occasions, like a few minutes ago, tries to get out, and hurt people."

He went quiet then, and kept his face burried in his hands, refusing to look at me.

I walked over to him, and rubbed his back.

"Well, you'll just have to try to not let it take control. You could have let it out today, and it would have killed your sister. But you didn't . You regained control, and besides being a little frightened, Temari isn't hurt at all."

I reached out, and cupped his cheek, turning his face towards me.

"You CAN control this Gaara."

He smiled sadly, and pulled me towards him. He rested his cheek on the top of my head, and sighed.

"I just don't want to hurt you love."

I smiled, and pulled away to look at him,

"Gaara, I was raised by three rogue ninjas. Believe me, It would take a LOT for you to hurt me. I would kick your butt."

He smiled, and pulled me back to him.

We were back in his room now. He had still been upset a few minutes after Temari had left, and I suggested that we go upstairs. He had nodded, and let me lead him up to his room.

After he had shut the door, he walked straight to the bed, and collapsed onto it.

I sighed, and went over to curl up beside him.

He slid one of his arms around my waist, and the other pillowed my head, making me lay against him.

He nuzzled into the bend of my neck, and I lifted a hand to run through his hair.

A few minutes of this, and I felt his body relax, and his breathing steady.

I thought that with how tired I was that I would go to sleep quickly. But after the excitement downstairs my mind just refused to shut down.

So I I laid there, idly running my fingers through Gaara's hair.

My mind went back to what I said to him in the kitchen about my fighting abilities.

I was stretching the truth sllightly.

I had no doubt that I COULD kick his butt in a fight...but the question was would I WANT to?

In a fight I would have to HURT him, and that was were my deliema was coming from. I wasn't sure that I could cause him harm.

If he still had Shukaku, it would be a different story, because it wouldn't be Gaara then. But Shukaku was gone, and I don't have the will power to hurt Gaara himself.

So I would be left with two options: Hurt Gaara in self defense, and save myself...or not do anything, and hurt him emotionally with the fact that he injured me.

I flinched.

If he realized that he had hurt me I had no doubt that he would commit suicide.

I stopped myself suddenly, and shook my head violently.

Nothing had happened, and I was already thinking the worst.

Gaara COULD stop himself. I had seen that already.

The sand hadn't even gotten NEAR Temari before he realized what was happening.

So it was really no use worring about something that might not happen anyways.

I sighed, and then smiled, as Gaara pulled me closer, and mumbled in his sleep.

I felt sleep pulling at me, and closed my eyes.

We would just have to see what happened before I began to worry again.

As soon as he moved my eyes flew open. Something was wrong.

Gaara was turned away form me, sweat forming on his body.

He mumbled something, and threw his arm in a punch, before it fell back to the bed.

I sat up, and watched him for a few seconds, not knowing what to do.

I had never seen anyone thrash around in their sleep before.

It wasn't until I saw, his fist smack into his face, with an audible popping sound that I realized that he was intent on hurting himself.

I quickly moved onto his chest, and tried to pin his arms to his side, barely avoiding a right fist aimed at my side.

I finally suceeded in catching both arms, and pinning them with my knees.

I surveyed the damage he had caused himself, and saw that he had a busted lip.

I grimaced, as a stream of blood ran down his wound onto his chin. That was going to hurt when he woke up. Which needed to be soon. I couldn't keep his wriggling body pinned for long.

I placed my hands on each side of his face, trying to keep his head still. And Avoiding the sharp teeth, that were at the moment trying to bite my fingers off.

"Gaara? Gaara, honey, you need to wake up. You're going to hurt yourself more if you don't."

He was begging to calm down, and wasn't thrashing anymore.

I ran my hand through his now damp hair, and continued talking.

"Gaara. Wake up now. Please."

I saw his eyelids flutter, and the slowly lifted to reveal hard, and cold aqua eyes. He was glaring at me intently, and I had to force myself to not flinch.

I realized that he was still slightly asleep, and not really seeing me, and so I smiled.

I pushed some hair out of his eyes, and he blinked up at me, finally coming out of his daze.

He frowned as he noticed what I was doing, and pulled his arms out from under my knees.

"Ria, love, why are you sitting on me?"

He grimaced.

"And why does my mouth hurt?"

I sighed, and moved to where I was sitting next to him.

I touched his lip gently, wiping some of the blood away.

"You were having a nightmare, and for some reason you hit yourself. So I had to restrain you from injuring yourself more. The only way that I could think of to do that was to sit on you.

He sighed, and nodded.

"I think that since I admitted out loud to what I feel, that it made things more real for me. So now it's vivid in my subconscious."

He sighed again, and stared at the ceiling blankly.

"Ria? Did I ever tell you that I almost killed Lee at one point?" I looked at him, startled with the change of subject, but shook my head.

"No. You never said anything about that. The way he talked to you at the festival though, I thought that the two of you were good friends."

He nodded.

"We are now. But during the chunin exams we were matched in a fight, and I had every intention of killing him. Just for the thrill of it.

I never thought that he would be as good of a fighter as he was. He ALMOST beat me. He was extremely fast, and even my lightening fast sand had issues following him.

He made a mistake however, and closed his eyes. It was only for a moment, but that gave me enough time to do a substitution. That one fatal mistake cost him dearly. I shattered both of his legs, and even now he hasn't fully recovered. That was four, or five years ago."

I reached out, and grabbed his hand, rubbing the knuckles with my thumb.

"He forgave you though. And you've changed a lot since then."

He nodded.

"I saved him once. That was what changed his mind about me.

He was fighting one of Orochimaru's henchmen, and I interviened before he could finish Lee off. He was still hurt then, and shouldn't have been fighting in the first place. But that's Lee for you. Always has to be in the middle of the action."

I smiled.

"Stop beating yourself over the past. You can't change it. The only thing you can do is learn from your mistakes. And from my point of view, you've learned a lot.

The people of Suna love you as their Kazekage. You now think twice about killing people, and you're not bitter or angry anymore."

He smiled softly, and squeezed my hand.

"Thank you love. I'm sorry that I interrupted you nap."

I grinned.

"Don't worry about it. It was more interesting watching you beat yourself up."

He grimaced, and I laughed, laying back down beside him.

I was packing now.

We had left Gaara's house an hour before, and had gone back to the hotel.

As soon as we had walked through the door Salem looked up from the couch, and his eyes had turned mutinous.

He stood up quickly. He motioned for me to follow him, and I turned to smile at Gaara.

"You can go wait in my room if you want."

He nodded, and began to walk in that direction. He passed Mona on his way, and she turned a shocked look towards me.

She touched her lip, and pointed at Gaara's retreating back.

I pointed back and made a punching motion.

She smiled, and pointed at me, wondering if I was the one that hit him.

I shook my head violently, and she raised her hands in a surrendering motion, a smirk on her face.

I took a step towards her, but she ran into her room.

I sighed, and turned to see Salem behind me. He pulled me to the kitchen, and leaned against a counter. I frowned at his attitude, and moved to sit on the counter across from him.

"What's wrong?"

He frowned, and crossed his arms, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"Look little sister: I like this guy. Seriously, I do. But I think that you're getting a little to attached? You really haven't known him that long."

I opened my mouth to argue, but he raised his hand, stopping my rage filled protests.

"Let me finish before you start yelling. Alright?"

I nodded, and he continued.

"How far have you gone with him? You've been spending the night together for a couple nights now."

I felt my face heating, and my mouth dropped open. "Salem!"

He shook his head, and raised his hands.

"Now don't get upset Ria. I'm just trying to be the good big brother here. Even if it doesn't seem like it."

I nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I know. But I REALLY don't like discussing these things with you. It's embarrassing. But to answer your question: there hasn't been anything more then a couple make-out sessions. Nothing any worse then you and Toru are probably doing."

He nodded.

"I was hoping for that. I also need to remind you, he's the Kazekage. He won't be able to see you much. We're leaving tomorrow, and I myself haven't heard of any long distance relationships working out. I'm sure there are some, and like I said I like this guy, but I don't want to see you hurt if this doesn't work out."

I nodded, upset.

"I know I wont see him often. Why do you think that I've been with him as much as I have? I know it's a long shot, but I'm in love with him. That's not normal for me. Surly a little distance won't break that up so easily."

Salem nodded, and sighed.

"Alright little sister. Just know that whether it works or it doesn't I'll be there for you. Okay?"

I smiled, and nodded, jumping down to give him a hug.

"I know big brother. Thank you."

He nodded, and hugged me back slightly. He smirked down at me, and looked towards my closed bedroom door.

"So, what happened to Gaara's lip? Did he try to feel you up, and you socked him?"

I huffed, and pulled away for the hug.

"No! He was sleeping and he hit himself."

My face scrunched at the way that sounded, and Salem began to laugh.

"Smart guy you picked little sister. Beats himself up during the night."

I gave him an incredious look.

"You're one to talk. I remember when you used to beat yourself up. And you were AWAKE."

He grimaced, and then nodded.

"Yeah. Glad that doesn't happen anymore."

I smiled, and nodded, about to walk off, when something that Salem had said earlier finally registered in my brain.

"Did you sat that we were leaving tomorrow?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. Around 9:00 a.m. I'm ready to be back, and Aubry is already going to be working you girls extra hard. So I need you to pack and go say your goodbyes to Gaara."

I sighed, and nodded, sadly. I then looked at him startled.

"Hey Salem, what do you think of Toru working at Aubrys?"

He smiled.

"I've already talked to her about that. She said that she would like to give it a try...As long as she can get along with her sisters."

I frowned.

"Who's her sisters?" He chuckled.

"Why Yuki, and Suki of course."

I stared at him shocked.

"Are you serious? I knew that she had sisters, but...she doesn't look like either of them!"

He laughed.

"Yeah, little sister. I know."

I shook my head in amazement, and began to walk away from him. I stopped, and turned back with a smile.

"You do realize that if you marry Toru, that the whore twins will be your sister-in-laws, right?"

His eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth dropped open.

I laughed at his stunned expression.

"Close your mouth Salem. A bird might fly in there, and you'll chock."

I heard his jaw close with a snap, and I walked towards my room.

When I walked into my room, I found Gaara lying on the bed, looking at the ceiling. I smiled, and walked over to him.

I sat on the side of the bed, and sighed. I really didn't want to leave him yet.

He turned to look at me, and propped himself up on an elbow.

"What's wrong love?"

I sighed again, and looked at the floor. Unable to meet his eyes.

"I'm leaving tomorrow."

I felt him sit up, and his fingers were under my chin, turning my face towards him.

"What time?"

I bit my lip.

"Around nine in the morning. Salem is anxious to get back. I think that he's a workaholic."

Gaara didn't smile at my joke. He just starred at me, and ran his thumb across my cheek. Like he was trying to memorize what I looked like.

"I'm not going away forever Gaara. You can come see me whenever you can. And I can always make a trip to see you."

He sighed, and let his hand fall to the bed.

"At least if you're not here then I can't hurt you."

I crossed my arms, and glared at him.

"Gaara..." He cut me off by smiling.

"I was teasing you Ria. I know what you said. You can 'kick my butt', right"

I smirked, and nodded.

"Right."

The smile fell from his face, and a sad light entered it.

"I'm going to miss you. I won't be able to leave much now. Since Sasuke is back at Kanoha the windbags are having a tough time accepting that he wont try to kill everyone. They say that the people need to see that I'm ready for a war if it comes to that. Though I would prefer to spend more time with you."

He fell back to lay on the bed, and I smiled down at him.

I placed my hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating, and sighed.

"I'd rather be with you too. I have to go back and deal with crazies."

I grimaced, and he smiled.

He grabbed my hand that was on his chest, and pulled me down to lay on top of him.

He pushed his lips to mine, but jerked away quickly.

He brought his hand up to his mouth, and touched his lip gently.

"That hurt."

I smiled, and brushed his cheek with my thumb.

"Well that's really your own fault. Though I can't really blame you. You WERE asleep."

He sighed, and closed his eyes.

"I can't even kiss you. It's your last night here with me, and I can't even kiss you goodbye. This is depressing."

He pouted slightly, and I smiled.

I leaned towards him, and pressed my lips to his softly. Being careful of his injury.

I pulled back after a moment, and smiled.

"Are you happy now? You got your kiss."

He smiled slightly, but shook his head.

"That's not how I wanted to kiss you. But I guess it can't be helped, since I've gone and beaten myself up."

I smiled, and kissed his nose.

"Maybe we should take you to a hospital and get you some pain meds."

He smirked, and flipped us, so that I was underneath him.

"Why do I need a hospital? I have you to nurse me back to health."

He began to lean towards me again, and I placed my hand over his mouth.

"Don't Gaara. You'll hurt yourself again."

He nodded, and I pulled my hand away. As soon as my hand left his mouth, he smashed his lips to mine, and I gasped. He pressed harder into me, and I tried in vain to push him away.

I finally gave up, and let my arms fall to my sides. I felt blood trickling into my mouth, and made a protesting noise.

He finally pulled back, and I saw that his lip had split open. I wiggled out from under him, and ran to the bathroom.

I came back with a damp washcloth, and began to dab at his still bleeding lip.

"I wish that you wouldn't hurt yourself."

He pulled the cloth away slightly.

"I had to kiss you. I couldn't help it."

I pressed the cloth back to his mouth.

"Still wish you wouldn't. That was an interesting feeling though. I've never had somebody else's blood in my mouth. I didn't like it much."

He smiled, and then grimaced.

I sighed, and brought his hand up to hold the cloth in place.

"Hold that. As much as I hate to, I have to pack."

I began to look for everything that I had left lying around the room, and shoving them in my bag.

I could feel Gaara's eyes on me as I moved, and heard the smile in his voice as he began speaking.

"See Ria? I told you that you were my personal nurse."

I wrinkled my nose at him, and then went back to packing.

"I'd rather just be your girlfriend. So quit hurting yourself."

He sighed.

"So besides telling you about leaving tomorrow, what did Salem talk about?"

I shrugged, and picked up a shoe.

"He thought that our relationship was moving to fast. He wanted to make sure that we weren't doing anything to serious."

Gaara frowned.

"Like what?"

I shrugged.

"Having sex I guess."

Gaara's frown deepened.

"What's that?"

I dropped the shirt that I was picking up, and turned to stare at him. I was making sure that he wasn't teasing me.

He looked genuenly confused.

I had almost forgotten that Gaara was innocent with everything concerning relationships. I had to show him what a kiss was, so of course he wouldn't know what sex was. I just thought that he would have asked questions when he got home.

I frowned.

"Gaara, what did those books you were reading tell you about the characters love lives?"

He shrugged.

"They never went past a brief description of the main characters kissing, and hinting at them removing their clothes."

He frowned.

"Did Salem think that I was undressing you?"

I laughed softly, and shook my head.

I felt that my face was warm, and he smirked.

"You're embarrassed. Is it really that hard to explain?"

I nodded, and bit my lip.

"Do you know how babies are made? It's the same thing."

He shook his head.

"No. I asked my uncle once, and he said that when I was older that he would tell me...obviously that didn't happen. When I became a teenager I thought about it again, but since I thought that I wouldn't love anyone I didn't see the point in knowing."

I sighed. Of course. That would have made this to easy.

He pouted.

"Can you not just tell me? Or SHOW me? Like with the kissing. I learned that quickly, and I could probably learn this just as fast."

I blushed four different shades of red, and laughed nervously.

I had to remind myself that Gaara didn't know what he was talking about. I was suddenly very sorry that I had even mentioned the subject.

I shook my head, and fanned my face, trying to cool my blush.

"I think that this is going to be one of those times that you're going to have to ask Kankuro. He may be a moron, but he would know about THIS stuff. At least the motions of it."

Gaara frowned, but nodded.

"Alright. If it makes you this embarrassed, then I'll ask Kankuro. Maybe we can try it out when I see you again."

I chocked on my spit, and had to remind myself that Gaara didn't know what he was talking about.

I also had to steer my horrid imagination form following his words to an entirely steamy scene.

I shook my head violently, and gulped.

"No. I really don't think that's a good idea. But you need to know. Just for the sake of it."

He nodded.

"I'll ask him when I see him next."

I smiled.

"No rush. It's not like we're going to be doing that any time soon anyways. I'm NOT ready for that."

He nodded, and laid back down on the bed.

"So what else did Salem say?"

I sighed in relief at the change of subject, and crawled into the bed.

As I spoke, he pulled me closer into him, and made his sand turn the lights off.

"Nothing really. He did tell me that Toru was Yuki, and Suki's sister."

Gaara frowned.

"Who's?"

I giggled slightly, and snuggled closer to him.

"They're the girls that flirt with everybody. I told Salem that if he married Toru that the two of them would be his sister-in-laws. He didn't like that."

Gaara smiled, and rubbed my back softly.

I sighed. "Do you think that your sister minds keeping Butterball tonight?"

He shook his head.

"I doubt it. Shikamaru had to leave tonight, and she probably wants the company."

I giggled.

"I think that your sister is going to miss Butterball more then you are."

Gaara nodded.

"You're right. I will probably be missing you so much that I won't remember that he even exists."

I pouted.

"That's not nice."

He shrugged.

"I've never claimed to be nice. But I do love you Ria."

I smiled, and kissed his neck.

"I love you too Gaara. Bunches, and bunches."

He smiled, and held me tightly as I fell asleep.

The next thing that I knew, Salem was yelling at everyone.

"Misa, get Mona up. Ria! Get your butt out of that bed, or I'll come in there, and jump on you. Toru, sweetleing. I need you to put on some real clothes now."

I sighed, and snuggled closer to Gaara's warm body.

"Don't you think that you need to get up? Or do you want Salem to jump on you?"

I shook my head.

"He won't do it. He's just threatening. Besides, I want to lay with you a little bit longer before I have to leave."

He tried to smile, but it came out as a grimance, when it tugged on the scab on his lip.

"Why do cuts on your mouth always hurt worse after you just wake up?"

I shrugged.

"Because you've gone so long without moving your lips, that they're stiff, and have to get used to moving again."

He shook his head.

"That was a rhetorical question love." I giggled.

"Oops. Sorry."

He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted as Salem began to yell again.

"Ria, I'm serious! Get up! Gaara, if you have to, push her out of that bed! Misa, have you gotten Mona up yet?"

I didn't hear her reply, but it was an apparent 'no' because a few seconds later I heard Mona's door crash into the wall.

Mona screamed, and Gaara flinched next to me at the volume.

"Get out you jerk! I'm busy."

I heard a growl, and Salem began to speak his voice threatening.

"I can see that. Come on Perv. She's got to get dressed. If you want to see her before she leave, then be at the gate at nine. If you're a minute late then we're leaving without you getting a goodbye."

I heard footsteps, and then another door close. This one further down the hall, so I figured it was the front door.

Mona was speaking now, and her voice was furious.

"You had no right to do that! You are NOT my father! You have no right to tell me when I get up or not. To leave or not. YOU have no say so in MY life! You may control Ria's, and now Toru's schedule, but you can NOT tell ME when I can do something. I'll go, and do WHATEVER I want!"

I heard a small minacing sound, and felt a cold chill run up my spin, at Salems next words.

You can do what you want when you're not with ME. But for right now, you're going to get up, and get dressed. I will not be late for a stupid girl like you.

If I have to, then I will end that life you speak of, and just leave the corpse here in Suna to rot in the heat. At least I'll be on time to get back to Aubrys.

I doubt anyone will even miss you."

I jumped up at hearing Salems threat, and ran to Mona's room to see him standing next to her bed.

His arms were crossed, and I saw that his expression was covered in shadows. His eyes were the only thing visible, and I saw that they're was a cruel intent there.

I looked around, and found that the shadows were moving around restlessly.

I saw Mona looking around worriedly, and I ran to Salem, gently shaking his arm.

"Salem, I think that, that's enough. You've scared poor Mona enough for one morning. She has to get dressed before we leave."

I tugged on his arm, and after a slight resistance, he followed me out of the door.

After I had shut Mona's door, I turned to Salem, a glare on my face.

"Well that was close to being a disaster"

He nodded.

"Yeah. Thank you. She just makes me angry."

I sighed.

"Well, can you TRY to avoid her today? Please? We don't need you going through with your threat."

He nodded.

"I'll try little sister. But knowing her, she's going to seek me out, and try to start a fight."

I sighed, and after a brief nod, went back to my room.

I had expected to see Gaara on the balcony, or lying on the bed, but he had dissapered. I noticed that the balcony doors where open again, and I figured that he must have had an emergency, and had to leave.

I just hoped that he would get back in time for me to tell him goodbye.

I sighed, and grabbed my bag wanting a shower before I left Suna.

I pulled my wet hair into a ponytail, and sighed.

I really needed to learn how to brush my hair. It was going to be horrendous by the time Salem got a brush to it.

I shrugged, and looked at the now lite pink marks covering my neck.

They weren't noticeable unless someone looked extremely hard, so I hoped that I could get out of any teasing.

I took one last look at my reflection., and made my way into my bedroom. I took a brief scan of the room, not really expecting Gaara to be there, and sighed in resignation.

He probably wouldn't be back before I left, and I had to go get Butterball soon. So I guess that I would just go alone.

I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to remember how to get to his house.

I flopped back onto the bed, and stared up at the ceiling accusingly.

Why did everything have to be so complicated?

I closed my eyes for a moment, preparing myself to get up, when I heard the curtains rustling.

I ignored it, remembering that I had forgotten to close the balcony doors.

I felt the wind tugging at my ponytail, and reached up to tighten it.

When my hand enclosed around the hair, it also grabbed a pair of fingers that happened to be there as well.

I gasped in alarm, and turned to see Gaara, an amused expression on his face.

He was holding Butterball, and I smiled up at him. Happy that I wouldn't have to remember how to get to his house, and that he was here.

"I was afraid that you wouldn't get here before I left."

He placed Butterball on the floor, and laid next to me.

He grabbed my hand, and rubbed the knuckles gently.

"I'm sorry. I was in a hurry, and wanted to get back to you as soon as possible. I wasn't expecting Temari to cry for twenty minutes when I went to get Butterball"

I smiled, and shook my head at the image.

"It's fine. I actually figured that you had Kazekage things to do. I know that, that's more important then saying goodbye to me."

He sat up quickly, and I looked up at him in surprise.

He pulled me up to be eye level with him, and then placed his hands on my cheeks.

"Do you think that Kazekage buisness is more important to me then you?"

I nodded in confusion.

"Well...Yeah. I mean that concerns an entire village. I'm just one person, and not a citizen of Suna. So I know that I'm not as important,"

Gaara glared, and his hands tightened slightly.

"Ria, you listen to me. YOU are the most important thing to me. Not being the Kazekage. If I had to choose between the two, then I would pick you without a second thought. You're right in saying that you're not AS important, you're MORE important. Do you understand that?"

I nodded, and he sighed.

He pulled me towards him, and held me tightly.

I was trying to process what he had just said.

_I_ was more important then an entire village? He would give up being Kazekage for ME? That would solve this distance problem, but...

"You are NEVER allowed to give up on being Kazekage."

He pulled away, shocked.

"What?"

I nodded.

"These people need you. You're the best Kazekage that they've ever had. I mean it. Even if it is a choice between me, and being Kazekage, you choose being the Kazekage. You can't leave this village on it's own."

He shook his head.

"I'm not the best Kazekage."

I raised an eyebrow.

"That's not what I heard. When we were in the market the other day I heard an old man tell his friend that you were the best thing to happen to Suna. That you had given up your life to protect the village, and that the people loved you. They need you Gaara."

He bit his lip.

"But I need YOU. I don't think that I could keep living if you weren't aound. THEY may need ME Ria, but I need YOU."

I sighed. This wasn't going to solve anything.

I smiled up at him.

"Let's not worry about it, okay?We're together now, and no one is making you choose. So for now, let's just enjoy being together."

He nodded, and pulled me back to him.

I didn't want the time that I had left with Gaara to be sad, but I really didn't know how for it not to be.

I was leaving, and wouldn't see him for a while.

I could write him letters, but there really weren't any messengers between Suna and Aubrys. So I would be writing with no way to get the letters to Gaara.

I sighed.

This was one of the reasons that long distance relationships didn't work. No communication...That's any relationship actually.

I still hadn't figured out any good idea when there was a hesitant knock on my door.

Salem peeked his head in slightly, and sighed when he saw us.

He walked fully into the room, and smiled at Gaara apolageticaly.

"I'd let you keep her, but she would be extremely unhappy in a hotel room."

Gaara nodded, and I sat up.

Salem looked at Butterball, lying on the floor, and went to pick him up.

"I'll take Butterball. When you get done saying your goodbyes little sister, come downstairs. We'll be waiting for you."

I nodded, and Salem turned to Gaara, who was sitting beside me now.

He walked over, and stuck his hand out towards Gaara, who took it and shook it briefly.

"Take care of yourself man. I'll plan on seeing you again pretty soon. Thanks for inviting us. It was fun, and the girls needed a break from Aubrys."

Gaara nodded, and Salem walked out with Butterball under his arm.

I turned, and threw myself into Gaara, who held me tightly to him. I burried my face in his chest.

"I don't want to leave you. But Salem's right; I wouldn't be happy in a hotel room. And I have nothing to do here."

Gaara began to ran a hand across my back, and he nodded.

"I know that love. I wouldn't ask you to do that. We'll just have to make frequent visits to each other."

He smiled at me sadly, and I nodded.

"Very frequent visits."

I stared at him a moment, before pressing my lips to his gently.

I tried to pull back, but he tangled a hand in my hair, and pressed my lips back to his. Harder this time.

I knew that he was going to hurt himself again, so I pushed on his chest, trying to make him let go.

He finally let me push myself away, and I placed a hand on his cheek.

He covered it with his own, and rubbed my knuckles softly as I spoke.

"I need to go now. They'll be waiting on me."

He nodded, and kissed the palm of my hand.

"Alright love."

He helped me off of the bed, and walked me to the front door. I turned to kiss him again, and he held me tightly, neither of us wanting to leave the other.

We finally parted, and I tried to smile up at him, but didn't really succeed.

"I'll plan on seeing you soon?"

He nodded, and I had to blink to see him clearly.

I refused to cry when I was positive that I was going to see him again.

I swallowed hard, and hugged him again. He hugged me back, and his arms tightened as I began speaking.

"I love you Gaara."

He kissed the top of my head.

"I love you too, Ria. So, so much."

I closed my eyes against the tears that threatened to fall, and tried to ignore the pain in his voice.

I pushed away, and after picking up my bag, ran down the stairs. If I looked at him again. I didn't think that my resolve would stay intact.

I ran into the street, and saw Salem waiting, anxiously for me.

"He held out his arms, and I gratefully accepted the comfort.

He began to rub my back gently as he spoke.

"I know that it's hard sweetheart. Saying goodbye to the people that we care about is one of the most difficult things to do. But you'll see him soon."

He held me at arms length, and looked at me.

"No tears?"

I shook my head, and he smiled.

"That's my strong girl."

He moved to guide me through the crowd, his arm around my shoulders, and I pressed into his side, avoiding the masses.

When we finally got to the gates I saw a group of people, saying their goodbyes.

I frowned when I saw the messenger that I had brought us to Suna, and turned to Salem.

"Please tell me that he isn't leading us back."

He smiled.

"Unless we ditch him."

I smiled.

"We may have to. With the way that I feel right now, I might hit him."

Salem smiled.

"He would deserve it."

I giggled softly, and squelled when Naruto jumped on me.

"Ri! I'll miss you. You'll have to visit Kanoha the next time that you get a break. I didn't get to see you at all!"

I laughed.

"I'll try Ruru. Though I really don't think that Aubry is going to let me off work again any time soon."

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned only to have Kankuro pick me up in a bone crushing hug.

He put me down, and smiled.

"You're almost family now Ria. Just get used to it."

I smiled, and nodded.

Temari hugged me next, and held onto me longer then Kankuro had.

"I'm glad that Gaara found a girl like you. I was worried when he said that he liked you...but you're good for him. I've never seen him as happy as he is when he's with you."

I smiled, and hugged her back.

"Thank you Temari."

She pulled back, and smiled at me.

She went to stand beside her brother, and I looked around at my traveling companions.

"Misa was crying, with an upset Mona hugging her comfortingly.

Salem and Toru looked happy to leave, but everyone else just seemed depressed.

I felt eyes on me, and looked to see Gaara standing on a building closest to the gates.

His arms were crossed, and he was watching the entire scene with an unreadable expression.

He saw me staring at him, and sent me a sad smile. I sighed, and blew him a kiss.

I saw his startled expression and turned around, quickly walking out of Suna.

I didn't look back. Even when I heard Naruto say my name. I knew that if I looked, that I would see Gaara, and his sad look.

If I did, then I knew that I wouldn't be able to leave him alone.

So I kept my eyes straight ahead, and refused to look back at the aqua eyed Kazekage that was sadly staring at my retreating form.

We were halfway home when Misa finally stopped crying. Her eyes were now puffy, and bloodshot.

Mona was still beside her, and was being unusually quiet. I guess the scare that Salem had given her was still enough to keep her silent. Toru had apparently picked up on the other girls moods and was now talking somberly to Salem.

I turned to look at the ninja that was leading us, and frowned.

He was muttering to himself about escorting children, and I had the thought that if he ever fell asleep that I would be more then happy to show him how childish I could be.

I smiled as I thought of how to ditch the complaining escort, but frowned when I remembered that I wouldn't see Gaara for a while. Maybe leaving him wasn't going to be such a good idea. I hadn't even been away from him for more then a couple hours, and I was already missing him so much it physically hurt.

I stopped in the middle of walking, and Misa ran into my back. She staggered back slightly, and looked at me curiously.

"Is there a reason why you stopped so suddenly? Are you hurt?"

I shook my head, and smiled.

"No. Just thinking. Sorry. Are you okay?"

She smiled, and nodded.

"Aside from already missing Kankuro, I'm fine."

I laughed.

"Well it's nice to know that our collision didn't hurt you."

She giggled, and ran to catch up with Mona, who was already far in front of us.

I sighed, and walked after them. Noticing that Salem kept looking over his shoulder to check on me.

I finally smiled at him, and he nodded, satisfied that I was emotionally alright.

I then went back to the thoughts that had been plaeging my mind since I had left Suna. One of these being the one that had made me stop so suddenly.

I had suddenly realized that I was being extremely selfish in my relationship. Gaara was feeling as bad, if not worse then I was about our seperation. He was the one that had been alone most of his life, and my leaving could feel like another abandonment.

I didn't like that thought, but it was the truth.

I knew now that even if I was felling tremendous pain, that Gaara was probably feeling it ten times worse. And I knew that I would never be able to break up with him over something as petty as distance.

If he thought that it wasn't going to work out, then HE would have to break it off himself.

Because I couldn't hurt him like that. At least not and live with myself.

I smiled, happy with my decision.

I would love Gaara as long as he would let me. Even if it was from afar. And the next time that I saw him, I would spend as much time as I could just being with him.

Even if that meant staying up every night that we were together.

I sighed happily, and ran to catch up with my group.

A few hours after I had made my decision, I had noticed that Misa was stumbling over the sand.

Mona was holding her up slightly,and I quickly went over to see what was wrong.

I looked at Misa's fae, and frowned.

Her face had lost it's normal color, and was now paper white. Her eyes had less sparkle in them then usual, and her eyelids were drooping tiredly.

"Misa. What's wrong?"

She shook her head, and leaned heavily on Mona who answered for her.

"We don't know. A few minutes ago she just started to feel dizzy, and she started stumbling, and complaining of a headache, and a stomach ache."

I frowned, and nodded.

"Okay. I'm going to go see if we can take a break."

Mona nodded, and I quickly ran to catch up to our escort, stopping beside him.

"Hey, do you think that we can pull this caravan over for a few minutes? Some of us are sick of walking, and need a rest."

He glared sideways at me, but kept walking.

"No. We can't take a break. I want to be back in my village before midnight, and I can't do that if you weaklings have to take a break every ten minutes."

I bit my tongue, and took a deep breath. Trying to keep my temper under control.

"Look. We've been walking for hours, and haven't taken a break yet. I think that we all deserve one. Most of us aren't used to such intense activity."

I smiled, hoping that he would take my last sentence as a type of complement, and agree...

"Then maybe you should so some endurance training."

No such luck, and now I was through being diplomatic.

I blocked his path, and glared up at him.

"Look buddy. If you don't let us take a break RIGHT now, I'll show you how much your training helped you. Or didn't.

I've asked you nicely. So SIT YOUR BUTT ON THE SAND!"

I yelled the last part into his face, and he fell back hard.

He stared up at me horrified, and nodded. I smiled down at him sweetly, and nodded.

"Good. We'll leave in an hour."

He frowned, and crossed his arms, not pleased with the situation.

As I walked away I heard him mumbling, and froze at what words drifted to me on the wind.

"Stupid female. Just because the Kazekage can have his way with her doesn't mean that she can tell me what to do. She may be screwing him for his power, but that doesn't give her the right to say things like that to me.

She's not even that pretty. The Kazekage has awful taste in women. Maybe that's why he's letting her leave: Because all he wants is a good tumble every now and then. She must be a whore."

I began to walk back towards him, about to tell him where he could shove that assumption, but Salem beat me to it.

He was standing at his full height, and had the escort by his throat, lifted into the air.

Salem isn't normally a threatening person, but when you make him angry...He's just not somebody that you want to mess with.

The darkness that he controlled made him slightly insane, and his love for certain people made him protective. Putting that together got you one crazy person to deal with.

He was shaking the man like a rag doll, and it looked like his head was going to detach from his shoulders.

"What the hell did you just say?"

I shuddered at Salems threatening voice. It was creepy when he got like this.

I saw him squeeze the mans throat a little tighter. His face now purple from lack of air.

"Do you have ANY idea how much I want to rip your throat out right now? I could do it too. Trust me. If I just squeezed a little harder...but I wont. Although I doubt that anyone would miss you, I can't take away your life. Even if it is a lousy one."

He smiled evilly.

"Though I am tempted to tell your Kazekage what you said about his girlfriend. I would love to see the fear in your eyes right before he crushed you to death with his sand."

He dropped the man who was now gasping in ragged breaths.

"Please. Please don't say anything. I have a family."

Salem shrugged.

"I don't care. And it's not me that's going to say anything. Ria's the one that should. He's in love with her." The man looked up at me with pleading eyes.

"Please don't tell him."

I shrugged.

"I wont."

He sighed.

"Thank you."

I glared down at him.

"Believe me. It's not for you. I just don't want Gaara to have to kill anymore. He's done enough of that."

I looked over at Misa who was lying on the sand, and frowned.

"Though if Kankuro ever finds out just how sick Misa is, and that you weren't going to stop...It's not Gaara that you'll have to worry about killing you. It's his brother."

I saw the fear entering his eyes, and turned to Salem, who put an arm around my shoulders,

I smiled. "You are one scary guy, big brother. Did you know that?"

He grinned, and nodded.

"I have to be. If I wasn't then my threats wouldn't have been...threatening."

He chuckled.

"Except for the one about Gaara. That would have worked whether I was scary or not. You have this fetish for threatening guys little sister."

I giggled.

"I know. It's from growing up in the Akatsuki I think."

He smiled, and I went to kneel beside Misa.

She was breathing shallowly, and groaned when she looked up at me.

"My stomach hurts. And my head is pounding."

I frowned, trying to figure out what was wrong with her.

"How much water have you drank since we've been walking?" She frowned, and shrugged.

"I don't know. A couple mouth fulls."

I sighed.

"That's what's wrong then. You're dehydrated."

I gave her my canteen, and helped her sit up.

"I want most of that gone before we start moving again. Don't drink it to fast though, or you'll be sicker then you are now." She nodded, and took a small sip.

I looked over at the ninja, who was staring at us from his place on the sand.

I saw him swallow, and walked over to stand in front of him.

He swallowed, and looked at Misa.

"Is she going to be alright?"

I nodded, and crossed my arms.

"She'll be fine. She's just dehydrated. She hasn't drank any water since we left."

He nodded, and looked up at me.

"I am sorry for what I said before. It was both untrue, and insulting. If you wish to tell Kazekage-sama then I will understand. There was no reason for me to behave so offensively."

I nodded.

"I appreciate the apology. And I won't tell Gaara. Everything you said was directed towards me personally, and there's no reason for me to involve the Kazekage. That would only cause more trouble then it's worth."

He nodded.

"I thank you for that."

I shook my head.

"Don't. Trust me, if it was my choice then I would have beaten you myself. But you're Gaara's responsibility, and I wouldn't put him through the hassle of you not returning quickly." He nodded, and I walked away to check on Misa.

Mona was sitting beside her, glancing at Salem like he was going to attack her. I guess she wasn't over the episode from the morning.

She was repriminding Misa quietly, and I frowned at her as I sat down.

"You shouldn't have cried so much Misa."

Misa sniffled, and nodded.

"I know that. But I'm just going to miss Kankuro so much. I don't like that I won't get to see him again for a long time...It makes me wanna cry all over again just thinking about it."

Mona hit her arm, making the teary eyed girl jump.

"Don't start that again Misa. It'll just delay us longer. Besides, at least you're only a couple hours walk from Kankuro. Sai lives in Kanoha and that's three days RUN from Suna."

Mona sighed.

"And since I didn't get to tell him goodbye the way that I wanted." She threw a glare in Salems direction. "I'm pretty depressed myself."

She looked at me suddenly, and frowned.

"What about you Ria? Your love life is worse then Misa's or mine. Since Gaara can't just leave like Sai, and Kankuro can. I mean...You'll probably see Gaara less the we see our boyfriends. How are you two going to keep that relationship going?"

I scowled. Leave it to Mona to bluntly state a painful fact.

I shrugged.

"We'll work something out. I mean, I'll miss him. A lot. But I don't see why we can't work out the little kinks."

She nodded, and I was glad that I could provide her with an explanation that she was happy with. Not that her opinion really mattered to me.

She was nodding now, and had suddenly gotten a caniving look on her face.

"At least if you stick with him, you'll ge the benefit of doing whatever you want and not having any reprocautions. I mean he makes the rules so what's the point of dating him if you're not allowed to bend them a little."

I looked at her horrified.

"I would never do that. I'm not going to abuse Gaara, or his power. That's cruel. Is that the reason why you think that I'm dating him?"

She frowned, and shook her head in disgust.

"No. I know that, that's not why you're with him. I was just stating the fact that if you DID do something wrong that he could just bend the rules a liiitttle bit, and you wouldn't get into trouble. If I had that luxury I would be using it all the time."

I was at a loss for words, and just stared at her. Salem, on the other hand knew exactly what he wanted to say and snorted.

"Alright. You girls are not allowed to follow Mona's examples. She's a bad influence. Using people for their power is not a good thing to do."

Mona sent a glare his way, and sent a breath out through her teeth.

"You're one to talk. You threatened to kill me this morning, and threw my boyfriend out of the room. I don't think that it's ME that's the bad influence."

A smile curved his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes, that had darkened slightly at her remark.

"And that threat that I gave you still stands. Until we get home, I would watch what you say to me."

He turned away from her, and turned to look at Misa.

"How are you feeling?"

She smiled.

"Much better. My headache is gone, and my stomach has settled down. I'm ready to leave whenever you guys are."

Salem nodded, and stood up, pulling Toru with him.

"Well then, shall we all go home?"

We all nodded, and turned to follow the still shaken ninja that had begun to walk ahead of us.

_THANKS FOR READING. LET ME KNOW IF IT WAS TOO MUCH OF A HASSLE TO READ THIS ENTIRE BOOK, BASICALLY. IF SO THEN I'LL FIX IT. BUT THANKS FOR READING. HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT. I'LL POST AGAIN AS SOON AS I_


	20. Chapter 20

I don't own Naruto

A few more hours of walking and we were now at the outskirts of our little village.

The ninja stopped suddenly, and turned towards me.

"I shall leave you now. Is there anything that you would like me to deliver to the Kazekage?"

I saw the fear still in his eyes when I nodded, and smiled. He was still afraid that I would tell Gaara what he had said about me.

"Tell him that he needs to come on a...**diplomatic** visit very soon."

Misa squealed.

"And that he needs to bring his brother as a bodyguard."

I smiled at her, and turned my attention back to the slightly confused ninja.

I shrugged.

"Hey. You asked if we had anything to say. And that was it."

He nodded, and bowed to us briefly.

He then straightened, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Salem chuckled, and shook his head.

"Well ladies, shall we go home?"

We all nodded, and began to walk towards our home.

As soon as we entered town, Mona, and Misa had headed to their house. I figured that Mona was anxious to be away from Salem as soon as possible.

Salem had decided that I was going to come with him to take Toru home, and I had quickly agreed. I wanted to keep an eye on him. He had been acting a little to hostile lately for my liking.

I stopped when Torus house came into view, and watched Salem walk her to the door.

I didn't want to see the goodbye that he would give her.

Watching one of my friends kiss their significant other was one thing. But watching my adopted brother kiss his girlfriend made me want to claw my eyes out, and use bleach on my brain to get rid of the disgusting memory.

Of course he probably felt the same way when I kiss Gaara.

I smiled, and stood there thinking about that for a moment, and then looked around startled as I heard an impatient huff.

I soon saw Salem stalking towards me with an irritated frown on his face.

I tilted my head to the side, and looked up at him curiously.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head.

"Yuki had swung open he door before we were even on the porch. As soon as she saw me she began spouting off some noncence about Aubrly being angry about our leaving, and that he was already interviewing new people to replace us all. And that she was angry how I had taken Toru away for such a long period of time without asking her fathers permission."

He sighed, and rubbed his eyes.

"It was everything that I could do to not retaliate with a comeback. Dating Toru is going to be extremely hard when her sisters are around."

I giggled, and linked one of my arms through his to lead him home.

"Of course it is. Relationships are work. They're not going to be easy. Sometimes I think that we should be getting paid for being in them."

He chuckled, and leaned his weight onto me.

"I agree. And it makes me tired. You should carry me home little sister."

I giggled, and staggered as I tried to hold us up. "Salem! You're heavy, and we'll fall!"

He snorted.

"Are you calling me fat Ria?"

I laughed.

"If it'll get you off of me I'll call you gigantic."

He chuckled, and stood up straight, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

Alright. That should be better. Shall we go home little sister?"

I smiled, and nodded.

"Yeah. I seriously need a bath...with** really** hot water."

He sighed, and yawned.

"All I want is my bed. I haven't been sleeping well the past couple of days."

I looked at him startled.

"Why not?"

He shrugged.

"I was worrying about you mostly."

I frowned, and looked up at him for a moment.

"Why have you been worrying about me Salem?"

He frowned.

"It was a couple of things. One was that you've never really been in a major relationship before and I was concerned with how you would respond to some things.

Another was the whole firework thing. When they began to fire those stupid things off I thought that I might hear someone screaming hysterically. And then see a sea of fire destroying the village.

If Gaara hadn't been with you that night, then I would have had you up all night talking to make sure that you were really okay."

I smiled, and shook my head.

"If it hadn't been for Gaara acting as quickly as he did, I probably **would **have burnt down Suna."

Salem smiled tiredly.

"Like I said before Sister: I like the guy. He's good for you. I don't have to worry about you so much. I still do of course. Just not as much."

He glared down at the road, and I gave him a curious look.

"But if he **ever** hurts you..."

I cut him off quickly with a laugh.

"Gaara wouldn't Salem. Believe me."

He smiled.

"I know. But I'm your brother. I have to put some fear of me into the boy." He grinned.

"What do you think that Sasori is going to say to him?"

I grimaced.

"I had forgotten about that. I don't know. Dolly always surprises me, so it's hard to say. When do you think he'll go see Gaara?"

Salem chuckled.

"Sasori was just waiting for us to leave Ria. It's one of the reasons why I made all of us leave so abruptly. He needed to get back to Rosa, and Niko."

I gasped.

"Are you serious? **That's** why we left early?"

I stopped for a moment, and frowned.

"You talked to Dolly, and Die while we were in Suna didn't you?"

He sent me a smug smile.

"Of course I did little sister. I had to tell him what I knew about your little Gaara. The last time Sasori saw him he was passed out, and wasn't really a good conversationalist."

I sighed.

"I'd kick your butt right now Salem, but I'm too tired."

He chuckled.

"Maybe tomorrow."

I nodded.

"Maybe."

I looked around, and noticed suddenly that in a few more seconds, the house would be in sight.

"I'd say that we should race home, but I'm so tired that I think that after two steps I'd fall down and not be able to get back up."

He chuckled.

"I can't run with this monstrosity in my arms anyways."

I smiled, and looked over at the so called 'monstrosity' to see Butterball asleep under one of Salem's arms. He had slept almost the entire way home.

"You might want to put him down before we go into the house. He probably has to use the bathroom."

Salem shrugged.

"I'm not to worried about it."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Gaara had that attitude at one time. And Butterball peed on** him."**

Salem looked at me startled, and then began to laugh.

He really didn't stop chuckling until we stopped by our front door.

"So what did Gaara do once Butterball peed on him?"

I shrugged. "He glared at the panda, and then changed his shirt. I did learn that Knakuro is an idiot during that though."

Salem smiled.

"How did you learn that?"

I shook my head.

"He told Gaara that when a girl blushes at something that a guy is doing that she likes that certain thing."

I rolled my eyes.

"Gaara changed his shirt in front of me, and of course I didn't blush. I mean really, it's just a chest."

Salem snorted.

"You've seen plenty of those. And more then that."

I nodded.

"I know. But like I said: Kankuro is an idiot."

He nodded, and placed Butterball on the ground.

"Yeah. But Misa likes him. So I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of him. You more so then me."

I nodded.

"Yeah, I know. But I really don't mind. If he has Misa around then I really wont have to deal with him."

/

I joined Salem in the now clean living room, and smiled softly as he glared.

We had spent the last two hours, cleaning up the destroyed house, and discoveriing what the thieves had taken. It wasn't much. Just some of my more expensive jewelry, and clothes. Salem wasn't missing anything, and most of the things in his room, remained untouched. Though with how untidy it was to begin with, I didn't know how he could tell.

I moved to stand beside him, and he spoke soflty.

''It had to be girls that destroyed the house.''

I nodded.

''I agree. But I don't think that they're practiced robbers. The things they took, weren't worth much. And they left the safe, and your jar of money alone. If they wanted money then they would have gone for those things first. But instead they took clothes, and gaudy jewelry.''

He sighed, and rubbed a hand across his eyes.

''I want to know who these girls are. But I'm so tired, and I can't think.''

I smiled, softly.

''Don't worry about it tonight, Salem. Just go to bed. We'll figure it out tomorrow, when we're rested...And I've had my bubble bath.''

Salem smiled, tiredly, and nodded.

''Alright, Ria. Are you going to be alright sleeping in your room alone, tonight?''

I rolled my eyes.

''Yes, Salem. I am a big girl. I can take cafre of myself.''

Salem rolled his eyes, smiling.

''I know that. But if you get scared, you know where I'm at. Be sure to keep your door, and window locked. If for nothing else, then to make me feel better.''

I smiled, and nodded.

''Yes, big brother. If it'll put your mind at ease, then I will lock my door.''

He chuckled, and gave me a quick hug.

''Thank you. Goodnight, then.''

I hugged him back for only a moment before pushing him away.

''Goodnight, Salem.''

I watched him stumble tiredly up the stairs, before going to lock the front door. The bolt had never been used, and was hard to turn. It finally slid into place, and I stepped away taking a look at the sllid wood.

I doubted that the robbers would come back while we were home, but I didn't want to take any chances.

I sighed softly, and moved towards my own room, Butterball following slowly.

I turned the lock on my door as well, and went to find some clean clothes. I placed Butterball on the bed, and went to my connected bathroom. I left the door slightly ajar, so I could listen for Butterball in the bedroom.

I made sure my bathwater would be close to scalding as I could stand, and leaned against my cabnit as I waited for the tub to fill. I sighed as the quiet of the house surrounded me. After spending days in a small space with a constant of four people, the peace was nice.

I looked at my bath, and quickly moved to turn off the water. It was getting close to overflowing. I stripped out of my clothes slowly, my body aching from walking all day, and sunk into the bubble filled water. I groaned as the hot water eased my strained body, and leaned back.

I knew that I should be brainstorming about who had tresspassed into my home, but my brain was to tired. I was already falling asleep, and frowned at the rapidly cooling water.

I reached for a towel, and wrapped it around me the moment that I stood from my bubbly water.

I was shivering already, and knew that I was going to miss Gaara's body heat. I climbed into my bed, and shivered again as the cold sheets covered me.

I sighed as my body refussed to heat itself. This was a downside to my element. The fire drained most of my body heat for itself, so that it could survive. It was a small price to pay, considering some of the others weeknesses were far worse.

Yuki was forced to drink water like a fish, in order to stay hydrated. Misa ran out of breath more quickly then anyone else, and had to remember not to talk fast, or she would faint from lack of oxygen. Jagar couldn't see in the dark. At all. And Mona couldn't swim. The Earth element did well to keep her grounded, and caused her to instantly sink if she set foot in the water.

All of these paled in comparison next to Salem's though. Darkeness scares most people, and with good reason. Awful creatures hide in shadows, and when the night falls completely these creatures can roam unchecked. The only thing that saves most people is because they can't see these creatures. Though they feel their presence, they shrug it off as paranoia.

Salem on the otherhand could see, and hear these things, and this made them more malicious. They enjoyed torturing him, whispering viscious lies in his ears.

When we were younger I would hear him scream, and would run into his room to see what was wrong. He would be sitting on his bed, his face burried in his hands, sobbing harshly. When I would go over to comfort him, he would point towards a corner, tellling me of the horrid things the creatures were showing him. I never saw the creatures of course, though I could hear slight shuffling noises, ever so often.

The creatures reminded him of how he had killed his family. And how they would drag him back to their world once he fell asleep.

I would try to comfort him. Explaining that it wasn't his fault that he lost control with his family. And that the creatures couldn't take him back to their world. They couldn't touch living things.

I would stay with him until the first light of morning peeked into his window. The creatures disapered with the sun, and Salem coukld finally sleep.

It wasn't long after Salem came to live with us that Dolly began to make him drink a foul looking liquid before he went to sleep. It caused him to sleep deeply, and kept the nightmares away, somehow. As far as I know, Salem still drank the liquid.

I smiled, and sighed as I realized that the combination of Butterball, and my bodies had heated the covers enough to be comfortable. I also found that I was having issues keeping my eyes opened.

My final thoughts were of Gaara, and wondering if he was sleeping before sleep pulled me under.


	21. Chapter 21

I don't own Naruto.

I woke up to my name being called, and my door opening slowly.

I shot a glare at Salem, and my voice was raspy as I spoke.

''You do know that it's frowned upon to pick the lock on someones door, don't you?''

He smirked, and shrugged.

''Yeah, but I needed to make sure that you were up. We have to go to Aubry's in about two hours, and I still have to brush that rat's nest that you call hair. Where's your brush?''

I pointed to the desk, and sat up, so he could sit behind me.

''I hope that Gaara, can brush your hair. After the two of you get married, I don't want you running to me everytime you need this mess untangled.''

I winced as he began to seperate my hair into sections, pulling gently.

''Whatever, Salem. You know that you like brushing my hair. You just don't want to admit it, because you think that it's too feminin. And what do you mean, 'when Gaara, and I get married?' He's never even mentioned anything close to that.''

I felt Salem shrug behind me.

''Just because we don't talk about getting married 24/7 like you girls, doesn't mean that we don't think about it. Some of our girlfriends are worth marrying.''

I gasped indignatly.

''We don't talk about getting married 24/7. And what do you mean SOME of your girlfriends?''

Salem chuckled, and tugged at my hair, playfully.

''Well, there are some girls that guys date, that we have no intention of forming a relationship with.''

I shot him a glare over my shoulder, and he laughed.

''Don't look at me that way, little sister. Think about Yuki, and Suki.''

I laughed, and nodded.

''I guess. To each his own, I suppose. But you like Toru. And she's their sister.''

Salem groaned.

''I know. Trust me when I say that I'm not to happy about that. You should be glad that you will have Temari, and Kankuro as inlaws. I'd trade Yuki and Suki for those two any day.''

I laughed, silently agreeing.

/

Salem and I left our home as soon as I was dressed, and managed to make it to Aubry's on time. Misa and Mona were there, and Salem groaned.

''Why? Why am I being tortured with these people? They irritate me to no end, and I'm forced to be around them.''

I laughed, and reached up to pinch his cheek.

''It's because you're just so adorable when you're flustered.''

Salem smirked, evilly.

''Be careful, little sister. If I get closer to Toru, then you'll have to be around her sisters more. Then who will be adorably flustered?''

I wrinkled my nose at the thought.

''Still you, Salem. Because, I will have murdered them.''

Salem laughed.

''I'll hold you to that, Ria. At least if you kill them, I won't have to take the blame.''

I rolled my eyes, and pushed him towarde the bar.

''Go talk to Jagar, Salem. Maybe he can keep you away from Mona.''

He nodded, and I watched him move towards the bar, before I went in the opposite directin to sit next to Misa.

She looked at me, and I frowned as I met her red eyes.

''What's wrong, Misa? You look like you've been crying.''

She nodded, and reached over to grab my hand.

''I have been. Our house was broken into while we were gone. Nothing really importatn was taken. Just some of my clothes, and a pair of Mona's shoes.''

I stared at her intently for a moment.

''My house was broken into as well. What is going on around here?''

Misa shook her head, and shrugged.

''I don't know. Something weird. Do you know what they were looking for?''

I shook my head.

''No. But it must have been something important to risk the chance of me finding them.''

Misa laughed, and nodded.

''You'll have to get behind Mona, if your planning on hurting them. She's so angry right now, that I had to threaten her to get her to Aubry's today.''

I laughed.

''I can't see you being able to threaten, Mona. What did you say to her?''

Misa giggled.

''Oh, I just told her that if she didn't get up, that I was going to cook breakfast.''

My eyes widened, and I laughed.

''I could see how that would make her get out of bed, quickly.''

Misa nodded, and visably jumped as Aubry's shout echoed around the room.

''Everybody, shut-up! I have an announcement, and I want all of you to hear it.''

Every head in the room turned towards his voice, and from my seated position, all I could see was the top of his head.

''I want all of you to listen to what I have to say before you start shouting, your loud, and unwanted opinions at me. Know right now, that no matter what you say, I've made up my mind, and nothing is going to change it.

I've decided that I'm tired of running this place. It has taken over my life, and I'm tired of it. I'm not shutting down the place, just handing it over to new management...mostly. I'm still going to be around, making sure that everything runs smoothly. And keeping an eye on you elemental keepers. You guys are one of the reasons that I'm retiring. I need to keep a closer eye on you. I can't seem to do a good job of that when I have a club to run.

The most important reason, however, and I know that I'm going to get some shit from you guys because of this: My wife is tired of not seeing me.''

There were a few laughs, and I was able to pick up, Salem's and Jagar's voices mixed with a few others. They silenced almost instantly as Aubry continued.

''Laugh all you want. You're all just jealous that I have a loving, caring wife.

But back to the matter at hand: choosing my replacement. I've hidden the deed to half of the club in one of the old houses, I own. I know that someone has tried to find the deed already, by breaking into other peoples homes. To you, I say if I ever find out who you are, I will not hesitate to break your necks. Plus, you will be disqualified from this competition.

The deed is not in any inhabited house.''

I smiled at his threat. No matter what Mona, and I could plan, Aubry would do a MUCH thourogh job of torturing them.

''Now, I'm finished. Let's hear what you have to say.''

It seemed like everyone began yelling at once, and it was Jagar's voice that rose above them all.

''The name of the club is, AUBRY'S. That's how it's been known for years. You might loose most of your clients if you change the name.''

I saw Aubry's head move from side to side.

''We wont change the name. I will still own, half of the club. Does anyone else have a question?''

It was silent for a moment, before Aubry spoke again.

''Good. Then I'll give you the rules of our game. (1) You can look for the deeds in groups. Though if you do, then you will have to share the reward.

You are not allowed to swendle information out of the people who know. I believe that my wife, and myself are the only one's that know.

No, trying to get rid of your competition...Jagar.''

There were some quiet snickers, and I could just imagine Jagar's grin. Aubry continued after the laugh's died down.

''And (4) As soon as you fine the deed, I want you to come straight to me. I don't want there to be ny fights over this.''

Everyone nodded, silently agreeing.

''Now. I want all of you to get ready for tonight. It's going to be hectic.''

Aubry jumped from the stage, and moved through the crowd, moving towards the bar. The rest of us moved to our stations, preparing for the night.

/

Mona and I were upstairs, running around like crazy, trying to keep the crowd from turning into a mob. It was hard, kepping their drinks filled, and remmebering what they had ordered.

As the night progressed it became quieter. The louder, and more exuberant people, becoming tired, and going home to their beds.

It was when most of them were gone, that Aubry's main clientel came in. These included people like the Akatsuki. People that were considered viscious, and wanted criminals. They would use Aubry's as a meeting place for some of their more...skitish customers.

Most of these men were placed upstairs, away from the loud music, and earshot of unaware civilians. We had some regulars, that had their own reserved tables. Dolly, and Die being two of these.

I was hoping silently, that maybe Dolly would make an appearance. It would be nice to see him. Though I doubted that he would.

I walked passed Mona, and stiffend slightly as she grabbed my arm. I turned towards her, and she smiled softly.

''On your next break, go find Misa. She has something to give you.''

I nodded, and moved towards the stairs. Mona had everything handled for the moment, and it was past time for me to take a break, anyways. So I figured that now would be the best time to find Misa.

I found her sitting at a table, slumped in her chair. I smiled as I took the seat across from her, and she returned my smile slightly.

''Hey, Ria. How's it been upstairs?''

I groaned.

''Crazy. Mona told me to come find you.''

Misa nodded, and pulled a small brown package out of her apron pocket. She handed it to me, with a smile.

I ripped at the brown paper, and pulled out a silver bracelet, with a small charm that looked like a flame.

I cooed at it soflty, and Misa beemed, holding out her wrist that had the same bracelet, but with a cloud charm.

''I bought them in Suna. I got Mona one too. Her's has a mountain on it. I saw them, and knew that we had to have them.''

I smiled at her, and moved around the table to give her a hug.

''Thank you, Misa. I love it.''

Misa nodded, and I turned to look up the stairs, where a noise came from.

''I should probably get back. I don't want to leave Mona alone for very long.''

Misa nodded.

''No. That's probably not a good idea. She's not in a good mood after last night.''

I nodded, and gave her another quick hug.

''Thank you again, Misa.''

Misa grinned.

''You're very welcome, Ria. But, go on. I need to get my section cleaned, so I can go home.''

I nodded, and made my way back towards the stairs.

I made my way back up the stairs, and after asking Mona if everything was alright, went back to my section.


	22. Chapter 22

I don't own Naruto.

The rest of the night went smoothly. There were no physical fights, and only a few raised voices, which were quickly calmed.

As the night carried on, and more of the people left, my mind began to wander. It was no surprise to me, that my mind focused on Gaara. I missed him a lot. And I wondered what he was doing, while I was working.

I watched, silently as the rest of the people left, leaving Mona, and I to clean up, upstairs. Aubry's was empty now, and closed for the day. It would open again, when the sun sat.

I finished my cleaning, and let my eyes roam over my work, making sure that I hadn't missed anything.

I was still looking around, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped, and turned to find Salem, grinning, hugely.

''Are you ready to go home, Little Sister?''

I nodded, sighing in relief.

''Yeah. I'm tired.''

Salem nodded, and led me down the stairs.

Misa saw us leaving, and waved hurriedly.

''Bye, Ria! Bye, Salem! Have a goodnight.''

I saw Salem flinch, and laughed as he waved back, goodnaturdly. He waited till we were outside, before he spoke.

''That girl is loud. I feel bad for Jagar. He was standing a few feet away from her, and is now probabaly deaf.''

I nodded, still laughing.

We were silent for a few moments, before Salem turned to me again, his eyes serious.

''Did you see Toru when she came in tonight?''

I shook my head.

''No. It was pretty busy, upstairs.''

Salem nodded.

''Aparently, Aubry thinks the same way as you girls do. He asked her if she wanted to start working. He then explained that one of his girls was going to marry a guy from Suna, and is going to be moving.''

Salem turned towards me, and raised his eyebrow.

''Is there something that you want to tell me, Ria?''

I rolled my eyes, and shook my head.

''He must have been talking about, Misa then. Because as far as I know, I haven't been asked to marry, anyone.''

Salem, chuckled.

''I was teasing you, Little Sister. I know that Gaara ahsn't asked you yet. But if it WAS Misa, we would all know about it. She would be to excited to keep it quiet.''

I laughed.

''You're right. Though, Misa is not good at being quiet, wheather she is excited or not.''

Salem nodded, and smirked at me.

''No. She's not. But, remember, Ria that I better be the first one that you tell, when Gaara proposes. Or I will have to tackle you.''

I laughed, and nodded.

''I'll be sure to remember that, Salem. Though I think that you should be more concerned with Toru. When does she start working?''

Salem sighed.

''Tomorrow night. Aubry wants you, and Misa to train her.''

I groaned.

''Seriously? Why isn't he letting Yuki, and Suki train her? She's their sister.''

Salem shot me a glare.

''Do you really want those two, forming her young mind?''

I shook my head, slightly confussed.

''No. But she LIVES with them. Don't they already try to tell her how to do things?''

Salem shook his head.

''No. From what she tells me, they're out of the house most of the time. And they ignore her for the most part.''

I nodded.

''That explains why she acts so differently, then. Alright. I suppose that I will have to help her then. Though I'm not sure how she will handle things, upstairs.''

Salem nodded, a frown coming to his face.

''I don't want her up there. She wouldn't handle it well. She's too sweet.''

I rolled my eyes, but let him continue speaking.

''I want her to be used to working there, though before I win the deed.''

I raised an eyebrow, and stared at him.

''And tell me, oh confident one: How do you plan on finding this deed?''

Salem smirked.

''Why, Little Sister, don't you know that I know everything?''

I laughed, and nodded.

''I think that I've heard you say that once, or twice. So where is this deed?''

Salem shrugged.

''I can't tell you yet. But I know that we're going to go find it.''

I looked at him, in surprise.

''Did you say that WE'RE going to find it? I don't think that I agreed to that.''

Salem shrugged.

''I'm drafting you. I'll let you sleep in, but tomorrow afternoon, I'm making you go treasure hunting with me.''

I sighed, and nodded.

''Fine. As long as you let me sleep in.''

Salem nodded.

''Of course. You can meet me at Aubry's home, around 1:00 a.m. We'll go searching from there.''

I nodded, and sighed as we reached our home.

I would need to let Butterball out, and then get reasy for bed. It was already 4 in the morning.

Salem told me goodnight when we entered the house, and I prepared to go to sleep.

/

The next morning, Salem came into my room, to tell me that he was leaving.

I groaned in disaproval as he woked me up, and pulled the covers over my head.

''Don't forget to meet me at one, Ria.''

I growled softly.

''Whatever. Just let me go back to sleep.''

He laughed, patted my covered leg, and closed the door behind him as he left.

I sighed as I heard the door click shut, and drifted back to sleep.

The next time that I woke up, the sun was high, the clock reading 12:30.

I groaned, and stood from the bed, searching for clean clothes. I would need to do laundry when I got home. I shook my head, thinking about Temari's comment about Gaara's laundry, and laughed. He was probably dealing with paperwork today. The last time that I had seen his desk, it was covered in scrolls, and papers.

I shook my head in wonderment. It had surprised me that the Kazekage had so much paperwork. He was supposed to be the most powerful person in the villiage, and he was forced to sign papers, and file. It seemed to me that you would send him out on more missions, rather then having him sitting behind a desk.

I shrugged, and pulled on my clothes. I didn't really mind that he was forced to sit behind a desk. At least he was safe that way. Though I knew that he didn't enjoy that.

I finished dressing, and after taking care of Butterball, made my way to Aubry's home. I saw Salem pacing impatiently. As soon as he saw me, he grabbed my arm, dragging me in another direction.

''C'mon, Ria. I think I've found something.''

I nodded, and let him drag me towards a broken down house. It would be gorgeous if someone took the time to fix it up.

He dragged me through the ajar door, and I instantly sneezed as I inhaled dust. The entire house was covered in a thick layer of the stuff, and I noticed that we were leaving footprints.

I looked closer, and saw multiple trunks, and wardrobes scatered around the room. The stairs, leading to the upper level was rotting, and I was worried that Salem would want us to traveres up the unsafe wood.

I wrinkled my nose, and sneezed again.

''You think that the deed is in here?''

Salem nodded, and grinned at me.

''I KNOW that it is. Don't be afraid, Ria. It's just a little dust.''

I frowned, and followed behind him as he moved around the room.

''It's not the dust I'm worried about. It's the splinters, and rotten wood.''

Salem laughed, began to break open a trunk.

I sighed, and followed his lead, opening a wardrobe.


	23. Chapter 23

I DON'T OWN NARUTO.

We had been searching the house for a good five hours. We hade made our way upstairs to the bedrooms, and like I had worried about before, the stairs had rotten enough, that Salem almost fell through the steps.

He was covinced however that the deed was in this room. I asked him once why he was certain about this, and he had just smiled, before returning to his searching.

I had given up a while ago, and collapsed on the big, canapied bed, nearly chocking as it's cloud of dust enveloped me.

I was watching, Salem look through a set of drawers, waiting for him to admit defeat.

He held up a pair of cotton pants, and frowned at thems.

''What are these supposed to be? A genie costume?''

I laughed, and shook my head.

''No. They're called pantaloons. They're a type of old bloomers.''

Salem instatnly dropped them, and began wiping his hands on his jeans.

''What is Aubry thinking, keeping things like that?''

I tried to catch my breath. My laughing turning into delighted giggles.

''You know that Aubry leaves most of these houses like the former occupants had them. No one has been in this place for generations, I'm sure. And do you remember how OUR home looked before we moved in?''

Salem nodded, and moved towards me.

''Yeah. That was the most cleaning that I have ever done in my life. Though even then, I didn't come across some ancient chicks, underwear.''

I giggled, and saw Salem smile.

His expression changed suddenly, and I frowned up at him.

''What's wrong?''

He didn't reply, except to pull me up from the mattress.

He began to crawl around the bed, feeling for, I didn't know what.

I watched him silently for a few more minutes, before sighing.

''Salem, what are you doing? I don't think that the deed is going to be in a bed.''

Salem shook his head, and continued to feel around.

''Where did people hide money, and important things, during war?''

I frowned.

''In the ground?''

Salem shot a glare over my shoulder, and shook his head.

''No, Ria. In the mattress. Now, help me find a seam that doesn't belong here.''

I sighed, and crawled onto the bed, doing as he said.

After a few minutes of this, I stood up from the bed, streatching my back.

''Are you happy now? There aren't any out of place seams.''

Salem shook his head, and flipped the mattress over. It landed on the floor, releasing more of it's trapped dust, and I groaned as he returned to searching.

He stood back suddenly, a grin on his face, and pulled a knife from his pocket. I watched as he cut into the mattress, convinced that he had gone crazy. Feathers began flying everywhere, and I wrinkled my nose.

Salem, stuck his hand into the mattress, and with an explosion of feathers, oulled out a folded paper.

He grinned up at me, and I couldn't help but giggle as I saw feathers stinking to his hair, and closthes.

''I think I've found it, Little Sister.''

I nodded, nd watched as the down floted around him.

''Well, Big Brother, let's have a look at it.''

He opened it quickly, his smile growing, and I walked over to read over his shoulder. In big letters across the top of the page, it read 'DEED.' I smiled, and patted his back.

''Well, Salem. It looks like you are the new co-owner of Aubry's. And you can call me prejudace, but I think that you will do a better job then anyone else.''

Salem smiled at me. It wasn't very often that we had a heart-to-heart chat, and I could see that he was slightly embarrassed.

He smirked suddenly.

''You know, Little Sister? It sound's like you're planning on leaving. You do realize that you can't go anywhere, unless I say you can, right? No matter how different the relationship is, you were mine before you were, Gaara's. And I think that that gives me a say so in when you can leave.''

I put my hands on my hips, and stared at him in challenge.

''And what makes you think that you can stop me if I want to leave?''

Salem smirked, a teasing glint in his eyes.

''Because I can do this.''

He suddenly grabbed my arm, and pulled me down to the mattress, tickling me suddenly.

I squeeled, and tried to wringle away from his bony fingers, and he finally relented, plopping down next to me, causing feathers to fly.

He chuckled.

''See? I can always tickle, you unmercifully.''

I rolled my eyes, and nodded.

''I suppose you could. But then you would have to deal with, Gaara, and I don't think that you would be willing to try and tickle him.''

Salem's eyes widened, and he shook his head quickly.

''No. That would probably be suicide. I don't think that he would be happy if I decided to tickle him.''

I laughed at the mental image, and Salem gave me a bemused look.

''No. I would imagine that he wouldn't.''

Salem nodded, and stood, pulling me up with him.

''Come on, Ria. Let's take the deed to Aubry.''

I nodded, and followed him slowly, down the stairs.

/

It wasn't until we had delievered the deed to Aubry, and Salem had ranted to him about his hoarding obsession, and were on the way home that I realized I had a question.

''Salem? How did you know that the deed would be in that house?''

He smirked.

''Aubry has been dropping hints to anyone who would listen, and I listened, very intently.''

I laughed.

''So you were able to take those hints, and make the connection to that house? Wow, Salem. You should do this professionally.''

He chuckled, and shrugged.

''Can't now. I have a new job.''

I nodded, smiling.

''Are you going to tell Toru, soon? I know that Aubry will make the announcement tonight, but are you going to tell her beforehand?''

He nodded.

''Yeah. I'm just going to change clothes, before going to her house. I'm covered in feathers, and dust.''

I laughed, and nodded.

''Yes, you are. Since, I'm not working tonight, I think that I'll do some laundry.''

We were in our house now, and Salem turned to me with a grin.

''Oh good. I need my clothes washed.''

I glared at him.

''You're a big boy, Salem. Can you not wash your own clothes?''

Salme nodded, and shrugged.

''Of course, I can. But I suppose that I will be smelling for a few days. I just don't have time to wash them right now.''

I sighed.

''Find a batch of clothes that you want, and I'll wash them. But after today, YOU are going to make time to wash your other clothes.''

Salem nodded, and quickly ran off to retrieve his clothes.

I sighed, and after letting Butterball, outside, went to collect my own clothes.

When I returned to the laundry room, Butterball was lounging on some of Salem's clothes.

I gasped, and pushed the panda, onto a soft rug.

''That's gross, Butterball. You don't know where those have been!''

He looked up at me with big, brown eyes, and I couldn't help but ruffle his hair, and coo soflt, before turning to the laundry.

Salem had more then I did, and I frowned at the mounds of clothes. I didn't know how he could stand that many dirty clothes. It was around four hampers full.

I wrinkled my nose as I began throwing some of his clothes into the washer, filling it full, and paused as I reached for his detergent. I bit my lip, fighting a sudden impish urge. I finally gave in, and grabbed my own detergent, pouring in the green liquid.

Salem would murder me for making him smell like lavender, but I couldn't stop myself. He would never have me was his clothes ever again.

I giggled, and went into the living room, Butterball following me closely. Sora looked up at me as I enetered, her tail wagging happily. We had brought her home from Aubry's and I could tell that he didn't want her to leave.

Butterball stared at Sora curiously, and I placed him on my lap as I sat down.

''Well, what are the three of us going to do tonight?''

No answer came, and I leaned back against the cushions. As I sat there, an idea came to me, and I sat straight again.

It had been a long time since I had gone to Aubry's just for fun. And I had an outfit that I had never worn.

I carried Butterball, up to my room, and quickly rifled through my clothes, finding what I wanted in the far back of my closet.

I looked at the outfit, and smiled.

The shirt was a black tank top that left my lower stomach bare. The skirt, was one of the only ones that I owned. It was red, and black plaid with a small chain belt. I pulled on some fishnets, and black high heels. I looked in the mirror, and frowned. Why was I so concerned about what I was wearing? It's not like I was going to see anyone that I cared what they thought. I thought for a moment about changing, before shaking my head.

I was already dressed, and I might as well wear this outfit, at least once.

I left a note for Salem, just in case we missed each other, or he came home before going to Aubry's. I left Butterball in the kitchen, and slowly made my way towards Aubrys.


	24. Chapter 24

As I walked in I was instatnly aware, that the building was almost burtsting. As I walked towards the bar, I noticed that neither Yuki, or Suki where there. Misa was working the upstairs, and Mona was being helped by Jagar.

I walked up to Aubry, who was mixing drinks. He didn't notice me, until I began speaking.

''Hey, Aubry.''

He looked up, and smiled, distractidly.

''Hey, Ria. Quite a crowd, huh?''

I nodded.

''Where are the twins? Weren't they supposed to be taking care of the downstairs?''

He nodded, handing a tdrink filled trey to Jagar.

''Yeah. But they found out that Salem had found the deed, and refused to come to work.''

I sighed. Those two needed to be hit.

Aubry was staring at me, strangely.

''Hey, Ria? Would you like to work for a few hours? It would be a lot of help, and I wound't have to worry so much for Misa.''

I sighed, and shrugged.

''Sure. As long as you don't mind me working out of uniform. Just hand me an apron, and tray.''

Aubry smiled, passing an extra apron over the counter, and sliding a drink filled tray to me.

''All of those go upstairs.''

I nodded, and after pulling on the apron, made my way to help Misa, who seemed like she was close to crying.

I touched her shoulder, and she sighed, tearfully.

''Oh, thank goodness! I couldn't handle this anymore alone.''

I smiled, and handed her the tray.

''Take these to whoever they belong to, and then go sit down. You need a break.''

She nodded, and walked off as I turned towards a table that had yet to be waited on.

It was a couple of regulars. Two men, one by the name of Ash, and the other by the name of Dristan.

''Hey, guys! What can I get you, tonight?''

They smiled back at me, and Dristan answered first.

''The regular, for me.'' He turned towards the other man. ''What about you, Ash?''

The other man, looked over me briefly, before replying.

''The regular is fine for me as well. But tell, me, Ria. Why are you so dressed up? This isn't your normal uniform.''

I smiled, slightly embarassed.

''I wasn't going to work tonight. But they needed me, so I thought that I would lend a hand.''

Ash nodded, and Dristan grinned.

''But instead of staying home, you came here! Were you planning on meeting someone? The rumors going around is that someone has caught your eye.''

I bit my lip, and Ash smiled, sagely.

''Leave her alone, Dristan. It's too busy tonight for you to be teasing her.''

Dristan laughed, and I quickly made my way around the room, taking orders.

Normally I would use the little dumweighter that we had, to send the orders to Aubry, but I needed time away from the two mens knowing eyes.

Though they seemed, innocent, they weren't. They were two of the main slave traders in this area. They would take certain people, the ones that wouldn't be missed, and sell them to the highest bidder. And though that was bad, it wasn't the worst thing. They had the pardon of one of the rulers in a nearby villiage. They could perform their trade without worry of punishment.

I had heard of some of the awful things that they had done to the people that had resisted their capture.

I shivered, and quickly got the orders. I didn't need them getting more impatient then they already were.

When I returned, Misa had gotten over her emotional breakdown, and had retured to taking more orders.

In a few minutes, we had gotten everyone calmed down, and they were happily, eating, and drinking. I made sure that Misa could handle things from the shadows, before a flash of red made me look downstairs. I looked harder, not finding anything that I would consider attention grabing. I shrugged, convinced that my mind was playing tricks on me.

I moved towards where Misa was standing. She was staring over the railing, and I gave her a curious look.

''What are you looking at, Misa?''

She turned towards me, a frown on her face.

''I think that I'm going crazy. I keep thinking that I see Gaara, downstairs. But he should be in Suna. Right?''

I nodded, and moved beside her, looking at where she pointed. I gasped as I saw a person, completely shadowed, exept for a mess of red hair.

Gaara stood in the same corner that he had hidden in his first night at Aubry's.

I ran down the stairs, ignoring the looks that I had received. Gaara didn't notice me as I pushed my way through the crowd, and I almost knocked us both down as I crashed into his back.

He turned with a glare, which instantly softened as he saw me. He drew us fully into the shadows, and wrapped his arms around me tightly.

I wrapped my arms around his neack, and smiled up at him.

''What are you doing here? I mean, I'm happy that you are, but I thought that I would have to miss you for a lot longer then a couple days.''

Gaara, smirked, and pulled me closer.

''My messanger gave me your message. That you wanted me to come for a 'diplomatic visit.' And I wanted to see you.''

I smiled.

''I did say that. We also told him that you needed to bring Kankuro along as your bodyguard. Did you do that?''

Gaara smirked, and pointed towards the upstairs, where I noticed a figure watching Misa work.

I grinned, and turned back to Gaara, pushing myself closer.

''So? Would you like to be welcomed to Aubry's, Gaara?''

His eyes lit up, and he smiled.

''That would depend on who's giving me this welcome.''

I smiled.

''Well that would be me.''

Gaara pretended to think about it for a moment, before nodding.

''Then yes. I think that would be apropriet. Considering I welcomed you to Suna.''

I nodded, and pulled his head down to mine, capturing his lips. He returned my kiss, his arms tightening around my waist.

At some point we had moved backwards, and I was now pressing him into the wall. I pulled away after a minute, my breathing uneaven, and I smiled.

''There. Do you feel welcomed?''

He smiled, and nodded.

''Very welcomed.''

I smiled, and it took me a moment to realize that we were dancing in the dark corner.

I looked up at him, a startled smile on my face.

''I didn't know that you could dance, Gaara.''

He nodded, tensely.

''When I became, Kazekage, the council decided that I needed to know how to dance. For formal parties, and such.''

He drew me into a slow waltz, that didn't fit the tempo in the room, but seemed fitting all the same.

''What do you think about my dancing, Ria? I was told that my steps lacked rythme.''

I smiled, and focused on his movements.

''Your movement is fluid, and you have the steps memorized. So it's not terrible. But you can hold me tighter.''

He smirked, and pulled me so tightly to him, that it made it difficult to move. I laughed, and he smiled.

''You told me that I could hold you closer. You just didn't specify how tight.''

He shot me a mock glare, and stopped his movements briefly.

''No one else is to know that I can dance. I've kept it hidden from all of the girls in the villiage, because I don't want to be bombarded at the festivals.''

I smiled, and nodded.

''Well, at least I don't have to worry about you running off, and dancing with any other girls.''

Gaara, pushed me away slightly, and locked his eyes with mine.

''I don't want, or need any other girl. And I don't want to dance with anyone but you.''

His eyes skated down my body, and I felt my face heating slightly as his eyes lingered over the bared skin.

He pulled me to him again, and smirked.

''Especially, not when you look the way that you do tonight. You look amazing. Though I'm not sure about how I feel about how all these's men are looking at you.''

I frowned, and glanced around. As far as I could see, no one was paying any attention to us.

Gaara saw my confusion, and explained, quietly.

''While I was watching you earlier, I noticed that some of the men upstairs were staring at you.''

I felt my mouth fall open, before burying my face in his chest, stilling our movements again.

''Eww! I knew that I should have changed before coming here. I didn't think that you would be here, and so I DID think about changing. This is why we have modest uniforms.''

He froze, and pushed me back slightly.

''You were thinking about ME when you picked out this outfit?''

I nodded, and pressed my face back to his chest.

''Yeah. And I remembered that you weren't SUPPOSED to be here, and I DID think about changing. I just...didn't.''

I could feel his smile against my hair, and he rubbed my back gently.

''I'm glad that you didn't change. If you had, I wouldn't have been able to see you in this outfit.''

I smiled, and shrugged.

''I think that you just like it, cause it flaunts more skin then I normally show.''

Gaara nodded.

''Yes, I do. It gives me easier access to your neck.''

I groaned, and shook my head.

''You're going to attack my neck while you're here, aren't you. I'll have to find some high collar shirts.''

Gaara's body shook in a silent laugh. We were silent for a moment, and I was content, until I felt his body stiffen.

I pulled back to look at him, and found him shooting a glare over my shoulder. I turned my head slightly to see a pair of guys staring at me.

Gaara's arms tightened, and I glanced back at him, wincing at his death glare.

''Gaara. Are you alright?''

He looked back at me, and I gasped as his arms tightened to an almost uncomfortable degree.

''I don't like for them to look at you like that. You're my girlfriend, and if they want to look at someone in that way then they need to get their own girlfriend.''

I looked at him in surprise.

''Are you JEALOUS, Gaara?''

He turned his glare towards me.

''No! I am the Kazekage. I do not GET jealous.''

I nodded, in mock seriousness, and moved to pull away.

''Well, then I think that I need to go have a talk with them about not oogling the staff memebers.''

Gaara growled, and slamed me back into his chest, causing me to loose my breath.

''Fine! I'm jealous. I love you, and I don't want to lose you to some scum.''

I sighed, and pulled his head down to kiss him softly.

''You're not going to lose me, Gaara. I love you too, remember? No, 'scum' is going to be able to change that. Do you understand?''

He nodded, but didn't look convinced. I sighed. I guess that I would just have to show him.

I gripped his hair tightly, and slammed our mouths together, harshly.

Gaara made a protesting noise, but quieted quickly as I pressed against him, pushing him into the wall. His arms tightened around me, holding me too him.

After a minute of this, I pulled away, breathing heavily.

Gaars grumbled, lowly, and moved lower, attacking my neck. I sighed as I thought about the looks that I was going to be getting, but shrugged. If they didn't like it, then they didn't have to look.

After a moment of this we heard Kankuro yelling, and Gaara pulled back with a groan. He turned a death glare towards his brother, and I laughed.

''He can't see us, Gaara. We're in the shadows.''

Gaara sighed, and nodded, moving us out of the corner, and towards Kankuro, and Misa, who's face was flushed.

I smirked.

''Well, it looks like you two have had a nice reunion.''

Misa giggled, her face flushing a deeper shade of red.

Kankuro chuckled, and shrugged.

''I wanted to tell you that I'm going to stay at Misa's tonight...Unless the Kazekage is expecting a threat of some sort?''

Gaara shook his head.

''No. You may have the night free.''

Kankuro grinned, and pulled Misa back towards the stairs. She would have to wait till closing time to leave, but the upper level was quickly emptying, and the could be alone for the most part.

I rolled my eyes, and lead Gaara towards the bar that Aubry was slowly cleaning. He smiled at us,a dn I handed the extra aron to him.

''I'm going to leave now. Misa should have everything handled, since it's so close to closing time.''

Aubry nodded, folding the apron quickly.

''Yeah. Thanks for helping out, Ria. You two have a good night.''

I smiled, and nodded, before letting Gaara lead me towards my house.

''We'll have to let Butterball outside when we get home.''

Gaara wrinkled his nose, but nodded.

''That's probably a good idea. I don't want him to pee on me again.''

I giggled.

''He hasn't done that to anyone else.''

Gaara groaned, and wrapped his arm around my waist, and I sighed as his body heat seeped into my side.

''It's because he hates me. I'm convinced.''

I frowned at him, trying to hide a laugh.

''He does not. He loves you. And I think he's missed you.''

He shrugged, and tightened his arm briefly.

''Did YOU miss me?''

I looked up at him, startled, and nodded.

''Of course I did. I thought about you everyday, wondering what you were doing.''

Gaara smirked.

''Good. I missed you too. So much so that I knew that I needed to see you.''

I smiled, and cuddled against his side, letting the silence envelope us as we walked.

**So Gaara is back. Yah! Thanks for reading. And I don't own Naruto.**


	25. Chapter 25

I don't own Naruto

As we entered my house, Gaara made his way up to my room as I let Butterball, and Sora outside. When I finally made my way into my room, I found a shirtless, Gaara lounging on my bed, his arms behind his head.

I shook my head, a smile on my face, and moved towards the bathroom to change into my nightclothes. When I came back into the room, I found Gaara where I had left him, the only difference being that Butterball was curled up at the foot of the bed.

I smiled, and went to crawl in next to Gaara, and he instantly turned towards me, wrapping his arms around me.

His voice rumbled under my cheek as he spoke, and I cuddled closer.

''I spoke to Kankuro, after you left, Suna. He explained to me what married people do.''

I groaned, and closed my eyes.

''I was hoping that you wouldn't ask him about that for a while.''

Gaara shook his head, and lifted my chin, so I would look at him.

''I wanted to know why you were so embarrassed about my questions. Now I understand. If the situation had been reversed, I think that I would have been just as embarrassed.''

I smiled, shyly, and nodded.

''So, Kankuro explained everything? I hope he explained it right, and didn't add his view of things, like he did with that blushing buisness.''

Gaara, smiled, and shrugged.

''I could tell you what he said if you want.''

I shook my head quickly.

''No, thank you. Ignorance is bliss, and I would like to stay in the dark about your brothers lectures.''

Gaara, nodded, and laid a kiss to my forehead.

''I don't blame you. Kankuro was very...vivid in his explanation.''

I grimaced, and gasped as I suddenly remembered the clothes in the washer. I sat up, feeling Gaara's eyes on me.

''I forgot about the laundry. I need to dry it so it doesn't sour.''

I heard him move from the bed, and turned in the hallway to find him right behind me, a frown on his face.

''I refuse to lose even a minute of time with you, Love. I'll go with you, and make sure that you don't dawdle.''

I laughed at the thought of staying in the laudry room, longer then necessary, and shrugged. If he wanted to go with me, then I didn't mind.

We entered the laundry room, and Gaara instantly moved to sit on the dryer, pulling his legs up, so they were out of the way.

I smiled at how innocent this pose made him look, and stood on my toes to kiss him gently. I pulled back after a moment, wanting to finish with the clothes, and return to my bed. Instead of letting me pull away, however, Gaara followed me, and I had to push on his chest, so he wouldn't fall from the dryer.

He pouted at me, and I had to hide my laugh.

''I wasn't done kissing you yet.''

I nodded, and turned to pull the clothes from the washer.

''Aparently. But I didn't want you to fall off of the dryer.''

Gaara shot me a glare, though it was a bit diminished by the pout that remained on his lips.

''Then you shouldn't have pulled away.''

I laughed, watching curiously as he pulled a shirt out of the washer.

''This doesn't look like it belong's to you, Love.''

I shook my head, and threw the shirt into the dryer.

''It's not. It's Salem's. I told him that I would do a load of his laundry, so that he wouldn't smell bad this week.''

Gaara frowned, and jumped off of the dryer, so that I could press the start buttons.

''You jumped out of bed, and stopped kissing me, so that you could do, SALEM'S laundry?''

I nodded, and grabbed his hand, leading him back towards my room.

''Yeah. But now I'm done, and we can go back to bed.''

Gaara nodded, and placed me on the bed, before curling up next to me. He wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me closer.

I sighed, enjoying how hid body heat, warmed the bed.

''I missed this.''

Gaara nodded, and began to run his fingers through my hair.

''Me too, Love. I couldn't even lay in my bed, after you left. I thought about you everytime that I would try to sleep,a nd when I reached for you, you weren't there.''

I sighed, snuggling closer to him. I had no silution to this dilema. I was still thinkig, when his voice interupted my thoughts.

''Did you know that, Sasori stayed in Suna, after you left? He came to talk to me the night that you left.''

I groaned.

''What did he say to you?''

Gaara, shrugged, smirking lightly.

''Nothing, to worry over, Love. A few threats, a short speech, and he left. AFTER he apologized, in a round-a-bout way, for killing me.''

I groaned, and instantly apologized.

''I'm so sorry, Gaara.''

He shook his head, his arms tightening briefly.

''Don't worry about it, love. I expected it. Though in my mind, he was a little more viscious, then he was in reality. The threats were still pretty vivid though.''

I sighed, preparing to apologize again, but Gaara stopped me.

''Stop, Love. It's good that they worry about you.''

He paused, for a moment, and I looked up to see him bitting his lip, hesitantly.

''You know that I would never hurt you, don't you? Wheather it's emotionally, or physically. I would never do anything that would intentionally cause you pain.''

I nodded, slowly.

''I know that, Gaara. What's brought this on?''

He shook his head.

''It's just something that, Sasori said. It made me think that maybe you thought that I might hurt you at some point.''

I rolled my eyes.

''I know that you would never hurt me, Gaara. And I'm sorry that, Dolly made you think that I doubted you. ''

I reached up to rub my thumb across his cheek bone.

''I know what you went through as a child, Gaara. And I know that because of that, you're more insecure when it comes to love. But I also know that with how you are now, that you would do anything possible to keep those you cared for safe. I have no doubts about how you feel, or of my own feelings for you. I love you, and I think sometimes that it will be ME that will hurt YOU.''

Gaara nodded, and captured my hand, bringing it to his mouth.

''I love you as well, my Ria. And you don't need to worry about hurting me. Everytime that I'm around you I feel as if whatever part was still broken inside of me, heals a bit more.''

I smiled, trying to hold back the tears that sprang to my eyes, and kissed him gently.

I pulled back after a moment, and rested against his chest again. I inhaled deeply, realizing at that moment, how much I had missed even the way he smelt.

I closed my eyes, already feeling the emotions of the night, causing me to become tired. Gaara seemed to sence this, and began to stroak my hair gently, relaxing me further.

''Are you going to be able to sleep tonight?''

Gaara shook his head, his hand never stopping it's movement.

''No, Love. But I'm not that tired. But I can tell that you are. Go to sleep.''

I sighed, and snuggled closer, unable to argue with him.

''Alright. Night.''

He hmned softly, and I finally lost the battle with my heavy eyelids, and fell asleep.

/

I was startled awake by an outraged yell, and instantly looked to my side for Gaara. He wasn't there, and I was just sitting up to take a closer look around the room, when my door flew open, banging against the wall.

I turned in surprise, finding a livid, Salem stormong towards me, a shirt held tightly in his clenched hand. He stopped by my bed, and waved the shirt in my face.

''My clothes smell like FLOWERS, Ria. Do you have any idea, WHY?''

I tried to force down my laughter, and nodded.

''I used my detergent.''

Salem's glare became deathly, and I fell back to the bed, almost chocking with how hard I was laughing.

''This is NOT funny, Little Sister! I have to go see Toru today, and what is she going to think when I walk in smelling like a CHICK?!''

I forced my eyes to look at him, but caught sight of Gaara standing in the doorway. He was watching Salem closely, his body tense.

I suddenly found that my laughter had fled, and I sat up with a sigh.

''Just tell her that I used the wrong detergent. She'll just laugh, and let it go.''

Salem's glare lightened slightly, and he nodded, moving towards the door. As he past Gaara, he held the shirt out to him.

''Never trust, Ria to do your laundry! She uses a girly smelling detergent!''

Gaara's eyes drifted to me, and after another brief glare, Salem moved away.

Gaara moved towards me, closing the door behind him. He perched on the bed, and I could hear Salem ranting.

''Stupid, Deidara! Incouraging her stupid pranks!''

I giggled, and looked at Gaara, who was nibbling on a cookie. I raised an eyebrow.

''Did you leave me alone, so that you could go get a cookie?''

Gaara smirked, and nodded.

''I thought that you would be asleep for a little bit longer, and I was hungry. I didn't expect for Salem to storm in here, and start yelling at you as soon as I left.''

His voice was not amused as he spoke, and I smiled sofltly.

''I knew that he would be angry. But I never thought that he would storm around with a shirt in his hand.''

Gaara looked at me in surprise.

''You did that on purpose?''

I nodded.

''Yeah. It was a little prank, that I thought would be entertaining.''

Gaara frowned, and took a bite of his cookie.

''When I heard him yelling at you, I thought that I was going to have to stop a fight, because of an accident. Now I find out that you made him mad on purpose.''

He shot me a reproachful look, huffing slightly.

''Just for that, you can't have a bite of my cookie.''

I stared at him incrediously.

''Are you telling me, that because I played a prank on Salem, that I can not have a cookie?''

Gaara nodded, and took another bite of the huge cookie.

''That's right. You were not good, and you don't deserve one.''

I pouted at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

It wasn't that he was forbiding me to have a cookie that irritated me, it was the fact that he was taking Salem's side. He was supposed to be my boyfriend, not Salem's, and I felt like I was being ganged up on. Though I had to admit that if this had envolved one of my friends, and Gaara had made them as angry as I had made Salem, I would have been angry. I sighed at my hypocritical thoughts, and aparantly remaind silent to long, because Gaara spoke again.

''So are you going to apologize to, Salem?''

I felt my eyesbrows rise almost to my hairline, and scoffed softly.

''I don't think so. Most likely, he's already at Toru's, and covered the smell up with strong cologne.''

I smirked.

''Besides. If I apologize, it would ruin his chances of getting revenge. He would be so dissapointed. Not to mention that he's already gotten over it. It was only one load of laundry after all. He can always re-wash them, when he washes his other clothes. You'll see when he gets back.''

Gaara's look was surprised.

''Do you play pranks on each other a lot?''

I nodded, and leaned back against my headboard.

''Yeah. A few weeks ago he turned some of my favorite shirts pink.

I glared at the ceiling.

'''He deserved to smell like a girl for a day, now that I think about it.''

Gaara shook his head, slowly.

''I don't understand why you would want to play pranks on each other.''

I shrugged.

''It's just fun. I know that some siblings pull pranks on each other because they want to embarrass, or hurt the other. Salem and I don't do that. It's all for fun.''

Gaara paused, before nodding.

''Temari, and Kankuro fight like that. They're extremly violent with each other, but it's still obvious that they care about the other.''

I nodded, and watched silently as his eyes became sad. I frowned at this, and moved so I could run my fingers through his hair.

''What's wrong, Gaara?''

He shrugged, and looked away from me to stare at the floor.

''They don't act like that way with me. It's my own fault. The way I treated them when I was younger, made them fear me, and even now that fear hasn't completely disapered. Sometimes I think that they still see me as a monster.''

I frowned, and pulled him towards me, so that I could wrap my arms around him tightly.

''You were NOT a monster, Gaara. And you need to stop thinking of yourself like you are.''

He smiled at me soflty.

''You're wrong, Love. I WAS a monster. You weren't there to see what I did. To see the look on my face. I enjoyed it far too much to NOT be considered a monster.''

I glared at him, and tightened my arms.

''I don't need to know what you LOOKED like, Gaara, to know that you are NOT a monster. Monsters don't regret what they did, and you've told me yourself that you do. I don't consider you a monster, and neither do your siblings. And I've seen the way your villiage respects you. Do you think that they would allow you to be the Kazekage if they thought that you were a monster?

YOU are the only one calling yourself a monster, Gaara, and you need to stop. If you need someone to play a prank on you to make you realize that you aren't one, then I will gladly find someone who will drop water ballons on your head.''

Gaara stared at me for a moment, before suddenly pulling me to kiss him. I smiled into the kiss. Aparently I had gotten through to him.

I pulled away from him after a moment.

''So do I need to find someone who is willing to pull a prank on you?''

He shook his head.

''No. I don't really want to be pranked.''

I smiled, and kissed him quickly.

''Alright. You know that your siblings love you, right? They're just giving you enough time to get used to the whole 'people love me no matter what' thing. They don't want to push you.''

Gaara nodded, and leaned against me.

''I have noticed that they have started saying things to me that they would never say before. Temari nags me more then she would ever dare, and Kankuro tries to tease me. Though I don't always understand.''

I nodded, smiling gently.

''So maybe when you get home, you should explain what your feelings, and tell them that you love them. At least to Temari. I know that that would make her happy.''

Gaara stiffened against me, and looked up at me with wide eyes.

''Tell...Tell them that I...''

He broke off, shaking his head harshly enough that I though that he was going to hurt himself. When he spoke next his voice was breathless.

''I can't, Ria. I've listened to Shukaku's voice tell me over and over again, that no one could love me. And I still can't force myself not to believe it. Even now: everytime that I tell you that I love you, and you don't answer right away, I can hear him whispering that you don't love me back. Or that you've realized what horrible things I've done, and that you've changed your mind.

I don't think that I could handle any more of that. Especially not with Temari, and Kankuro. I've treated them so cruely, that they have the most reasons to hate me. I don't think I could stand it if I found out that they only tolerated me because I'm their brother.''

I hushed him, and rocked him gently.

''Hush, Gaara. I'm sorry. I didn't realize that this would be so hard for you.''

He looked up at me with a deep sadness in his eyes, and I had the brief thought that if he wasn't so used to these feelings that he would be crumpled in a corner.

I tightened my arms around him, and burried my face in his hair.

''I love you, Gaara. You never have to doubt that. If I ever hesitate in replying, it's not because I'm rethinking if I love you, it's because I'm amazed at how MUCH I love you.''

He sighed, and closed his eyes.

''I love you, my Ria. Thank you. I'll try to remember what you said the next time I hear Shukaku's voice.''

I nodded, and kissed his forehead.

''Good. And I love you too.''

He smiled softly.

''I know.


	26. About the Akatsuki's Daughter

For those of you that read that monstrosity of a mess. I heart all of your faces. Thank you so much. I have fixed the foramt, so that it would be easier to read.

And thank you for reading.

I'm updating the chapters as fast as I can. I have more time now, so I will have this story finished...some . But still thanks for reading. I'll update again soon.


	27. Chapter 27

I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters that you recognise from the show.

We had made our way to the kitchen, after Gaara had calmed down.

My stomach had decided that it was time to eat, grumbling loudly. I had laughed, and pulled Gaara off of the bed.

As we entered the kitchen, I pushed Gaara down to sit in a chair, as I went in search of food. I looked back at Gaara, and smiled, as I locked eyes with him.

''So, what do you want for breakfast?

He shrugged. ''I had some cookies.''

I frowned. ''Are you saying that you ate more then ONE cookie?''

He smirked, and nodded. I shook my head, laughing slightly. ''You're going to have a major sugar high. Those cookies were huge. You need to eat something else or you're going to get a headache. I think I'll make chocolate chip pancakes.''

Gaara shrugged, and leaned back into the chair. I smiled.

''Don't worry, hon. I DON'T cook like Temari.''

He smirked. ''I know. I ate your cooking when I was here the last time. I knew it couldn't be horrible when I saw the way that Naruto was scarfing it down.''

I giggled, and shrugged. ''Naruto would eat anything if he was hungry enough. He really likes food.''

Gaara shook his head, smirking slightly. ''He won't eat Temari's cooking. He asked Hinata to cook for him while he was in Suna. Does that tell you how awful her cooking is? Even Naruto won't eat it.''

I laughed, and shook my head. ''At least she tries.'' I paused in stirring the batter, a sudden thought coming to me.

''Hey, Gaara? Can Kankuro cook?''

Gaara shook his head, his expression confused. ''No. Why do you ask?''

I grimaced, and poured the batter onto the skillet.

''Because, Misa can't cook either. Mona won't let her into the kitchen, anymore. The one time that she did, Misa not only messed up the recipe, she burnt the food so bad, that the kitchen filled with smoke. It was like that for three days, even with them airing out the house.

So now, Misa does all of the cleaning, and Mona has taken over the cooking.''

Gaara smiled, and I saw his shoulders shake in silent laughter.

''Don't worry, Love. They'll just have to order out every night.''

I laughed. ''I guess. Unless Mona changes her mind about Misa going into the kitchen. I seriously doubt it.''

I turned back to take up the finished pancakes, but paused when I suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. I looked to the side, and saw Gaara looking over my shoulder, at the food.

I flipped the new pancakes, and gasped as he began to lay random kisses around my neck.

I tightened my grip on the spatula. It was hard to concentrate on food when he was being such a distraction. He moved the collar of my night-shirt so that he could attack my shoulder, and I was glad that the pancakes were finished.

I placed the pancakes onto two plates, and swiveled in his arms to face him, my arms wrapping around his neck.

''You're not nice, do you know that?''

He frowned, confused. ''How am I not nice?''

I shook my head in mock reproach. ''Here I was, making you something to eat, and you decide to kiss me, when I can't kiss you back. That wasn't nice at all.''

His face brightened, and he smirked, reaching past me to turn off the stove.

''Well. You're not cooking now.

I smiled, and pulled his head down, to touch his lips to mine. I let him kiss me until I had no choice but to pull away to breathe. I noticed that Gaara's breathing was still normal, and I couldn't stop the glare that came to my face.

He smirked. ''Why are you glaring at me, Love?''

I wrinkled my nose.

''Because you're not even a LITTLE out of breath, and I'm gasping in air.''

He smiled, and shrugged. ''It's my ninja training again.''

I huffed. ''Stupid ninja training.''

He smiled, and motioned to the food.

''Do you still want to eat, or are you content to have me kiss you breathless again? Because, if you are, I would prefer to move away from the hot stove.''

I laughed, and turned to grab the full plates. I walked past him, and noticed the dissapointed look on his face.

He sat down in his abandoned chair, and stared dejectedly at the full plate in front of him. I watched him for a moment before sighing, and flinging myself onto his lap.

His eyes widened, but his arms had instantly wrapped around me. I smiled, and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

''Santa. I want a new pair of shoes, and a leash for Butterball, and someone to clean my house for me.''

Gaara was staring at me blankly, and I laughed as I laid a kiss to his jaw.

''You just have to get what you want all of the time, don't you?''

He shot me a haughty look, and nodded his head.

''Of course. I ALWAYS get what I want. I always have.''

I laughed, and shook my head.

''Even though, I believe that that's probably true, you're going to have to wait until I finish eating. Because if I don't eat something so, my stomach is going to be yelling, loudly.''

He pouted, but the disappointed look had vanished, as he nodded.

''Fine. I suppose that I don't want your stomach to yell at me.''

I nodded, still curious as to why he was sad to begin with.

''Why did you look so upset earlier? It wasn't just because you weren't getting your way. You genuinely looked disappointed.''

Gaara frowned, and looked away from me.

''I don't want to tell you. It's embarrassing.''

I grinned evilly, and turned his face back to mine. ''Oh, no honey. I can tell you some embarrassing things. If it would make you feel better.''

His eyes widened, and he shook his head quickly. ''No. I'll tell you. I was disappointed, because it seemed like you would rather eat, then kiss me.''

I frowned at him, and shook my head. ''There are few things that I would rather do then kiss you, Gaara. That ranks pretty high on my priority list.''

His arms tightened around me, pulling me closer. He buried his face in my hair.

He shook his head. ''I know that, Love. I do, really. If the council had seen how unsure I am, they would never had made me Kazekage.''

I smiled, and pushed him away, to look at him.

''Yes, they would have. You've never had to deal with these type of feelings before. It's understandable that you would be unsure.

You are the best Kazekage that the sand has ever had. Or at least that's what I heard from the villagers, when I walked through Suna. ''

Gaara smiled slightly, and I turned in his arms to reach our plates, handing one to him.

He took it, and smiled at me. ''If I had known that you were going to sit on my lap the whole time, I would have woken you up, long before Salem came bursting into your room.''

I smiled, and took a bite of the pancakes. Somehow the chocolate chips were still gooey.

I speared another square, and held it out to Gaara.

''Here. You have to at least try a bite.''

He stared at the morsel doubtfully, before sighing, and taking the fork from me. I watched as he chewed slowly, and his eyes widened. He reached around me quickly, grabbing his own plate.

I laughed softly as he began shoveling the pastry into her mouth with so much gusto, he would make Naruto proud.

I returned to my own meal, and wasn't surprised when he suddenly choked, and began coughing harshly.

I patted his back, and bit my lip so I wouldn't laugh at him. The color that had taken over his face, could rival his hair.

He cought his breath after another moment, and lifted his eyes towards me, a harsh glare contorting his features.

''Are you laughing at my discomfort, Ria?''

I bit my lip hard, knowing from his tone of voice that I was in trouble. I smiled innocently at him, and shook my head.

''Of course not, Gaara. Do you think that I would do something like that?''

His glare became harsher, and I laughed nervously, looking away.

''Well, MAYBE I would.''

He growled softly, and I threw my plate onto the table, and crossed my arms protectively.

''Fine! Yes! Yes, I was laughing at you! Are you happy now? You truth Nazi.''

I pouted at him, and his lips twitched in amusement. He traced my pout with his finger, and grinned.

''You're pouting, Love.''

I nodded, and huffed softly, causing him to frown.

''Are you not talking to me, now?''

I shook my head, and he paused a moment, before moving his plate to the table, and wrapping his arms around me tightly.

''Alright, then. I suppose that I will just have to settle on a kiss then, since you refuse to speak to me.''

I remained silent, and he smirked, before kissing me gently.

I groaned softly at his cheating, and felt his smile as his hands moved to my hair, tilting my head, and deepening the kiss.

I was moving closer to him, when the kitchen door burst open, and a disgusted noise caused me to pull away, and glare at Salem.

My glare turned to concern suddenly, and I searched his expression, finding panic beneath the disgust.

''What's wrong, Salem?''

He swallowed. ''Somebody set fire to Aubry's. I was at Toru's when I saw the smoke. The other's are trying to put out the flames, but it wasn't looking good when I left.''

I stared at him horrified. ''Is everyone alright? Was anyone inside the building?''

Salem shook his head.

''Everyone is fine. It was too early for anyone to be there for work.''

I sighed in relief, and relaxed slightly. ''Do you know who set the fire?''

His face hardened, and he snarled. ''We don't know for sure, but we think that it was Yuki, and Suki.''

I groaned. ''Of course it was. If I could get my hands around their slutty necks, I would strangle them!''

Gaara's arms tightened around me, comfortingly, and Salem nodded.

''Same here, Little Sister. If it wasn't for Toru, I would already have a hunting party ready to go after their heads.''

I nodded, and pulled Gaara up to stand.

''I'm going to go change, and then meet you at Aubry's, or...what's left of it.''

He nodded. ''Alright, Sister. I'll see you in a bit.''

I nodded, and watched as he quickly walked out the door.

I turned back to look at Gaara, and sighed. ''I was hoping that I could spend some QUIET time with you, and RELAX. You have enough trouble to deal with being a Kazekaga. You don't need them when you're away from Suna, trying to be Gaara.''

He smiled softly, and pulled me to him, hugging me tightly.

''You couldn't help this, Love. And I can say that your life definitely keeps me on my toes.''

I shook my head tiredly, and pulled away.

''I have to go change clothes.''

Gaara nodded, and nudged me towards the stairs.

''Go. I'll rinse the dishes, and meet you upstairs in a little bit.''

I nodded, and kissed his cheek, before making my way to my room, silently cursing the Slutt Twins.


	28. Chapter 28

**I do not own Naruto, or it's characters.**

I had just finished pulling on my shirt, when Gaara knocked on my door. I smoothed out the wrinkles in the cloth, and smiled.

''It's okay. I'm dressed.''

He peeked into the room hesitantly, and when his eyes found me clothed, stepped fully into the room.

I watched as he walked to the corner net to the bed, and picked up a black bag, that I hadn't noticed the night before.

I tilted my head as he began rifling through it, and he smiled at me as he caught my curious gaze.

''I need a clean shirt.''

I nodded. ''But when did you get a BAG here?''

He shrugged, and pulled out a tan shirt. ''I came here first, before going to Aubry's. Salem opened the door, and told me where you were. He brought my bag to your room.''

I nodded, and rolled my eyes. Knowing Salem, he had probably just opened my door, and threw the bag into the room. I ran a hand through my hair, and grimaced as my fingers got caught in a tangle. I would have to wait another day until I could get Salem to brush it.

I was beginning to pull my hair up, when I caught Gaara's gaze in my mirror.

''What?''

He walked towards me, and grasped my hands, pulling them away from my hair, letting it return to falling down my back.

''Sasori said something about you not knowing how to brush your hair. But I thought that he was joking...Can you really not brush your hair?''

I shrugged, and shook my head.

''No. There was no reason for me to learn. Die always took care of my hairstyles.''

He nodded, and began to run his fingers through my hair. He caught a tangle, and instantly pulled away.

''Your hair is really knotted.''

I nodded, and moved to sit on my bed, trying to comb out the tangles with my fingers.

''Salem has been really busy, and I didn't want to bother him.''

Gaara nodded, and grabbed something off of my vanity, before moving to sit behind me.

I tensed slightly, unsure of what he was doing, until I felt the familiar pull of a brush. It had never occurred to me, to ask Gaara to brush my hair. It was one thing to have my adopted brother, or Die brushing my hair, but having Gaara, gently brushing out the tangles. It was strange.

Though the longer I thought about it, the more I wanted to laugh. The feared Kazekage of the sand village was tenderly untangling his girlfriends hair.

After a moment, I relaxed, and tried to ignore the constant pulling. Gaara sighed after another moment, and I relaxed completely as he brushed through the detangled strands.

''I didn't think about how soothing this would be. For ME. It's a repetitive motion, and your hair is so soft...''

I rolled my eyes, and shrugged. Gaara grumbled suddenly, and I grimaced.

''I'm sorry. Did it tangle again?''

I felt his nod. ''A little bit. But nothing near like it was.''

He became silent again, and I could feel my eyes drifting close, even though I knew we needed to leave. I was just relunctant to pull away from him, saying that my hair was now tangle free. It had been a long time since someone had taken so much time in brushing my hair. It felt nice.

Gaara's voice, however drew me from my haze.

''You probably shouldn't let your hair get that tangled again, Love.''

I forced myself not to shrug, knowing that it would again cause tangles.

''I told you that I didn't want to be a bother to Salem. And now that Aubry's has burned...''

I let my sentence drift off, unprepared for the rush of sadness.

I felt Gaara set the brush aside, and pull my hair into its normal, high ponytail. His voice was guarded as he spoke.

''What will you do now, that Aubry's is...gone?'' I could hear the hesitancy in his voice, as he searched for the least hurtful words.

I sighed, and relaxed against his chest, his now free arms wrapping around me.

''I really don't know, Gaara. I know, without them saying, that they won't let me help them rebuild.''

His arms tightened, and he buried his face against my neck, making it hard for me to understand him.

''Would you like to come back to Suna with me, tomorrow?''

I bit my lip, trying to think if there was a reason for me NOT to go. Salem would be fine with Toru for company. She would comfort him better then I could. And it wasn't like I had to WORK.

I smiled bright, and nodded. ''I would like very much to go back with you. It will be too depressing around here for a while. Aubry's has been around for what seems like forever. I don't want to see another building there until it's finished.''

I felt the tears cloud my vision again, and forced them back. Gaara nuzzled against my neck, and tightened his arms.

''I'm sorry, Love. If you need me, I'm here.''

I smiled, and turned in his arms, smiling softly.

''I always need you Gaara.'' I ruffled his hair playfully. ''I just don't need your attitude.''

He smirked, and I kissed him quickly, before pulling him from the bed.

''Well. Let's go see what damage has been done to the building.''

Gaara nodded, and let me lead him from the room.


	29. Chapter 29

**I do not own Naruto, or it's characters.**

I leaned against Gaara, looking at the smoking remains of the once proud building. Salem, and Jagur, and Aubry were rifling through the ashes, looking for anything salvageable.

All three were covered in soot, and their faces, and hands were almost completely black.

I shivered in disgust, and felt Gaara's arms tighten around me. Yuki, and Suki had done this because Salem had been the one to find the deed. It was hard for me to grasp how childish they had acted.

And I had no doubt that they were the ones that had broken into the houses. Cheating to find the deed.

I felt Gaara stiffen, and looked to see what had caught his attention.

I saw Mona, and Misa walking towards us, Kankuro following behind them slowly. From the way he was shooting glares at Mona, I could tell that she had already insulted him in some way.

As they came to a stop beside us, I saw Misa's bloodshot eyes, and Mona's nose was red. A clear sign that both had been crying.

I smiled at them sadly. ''How are the two of you doing?''

Misa shook her head, her eyes filling with tears, and Mona shrugged. ''We're alive. And physically unhurt. But if I ever see those whore bunnies again, I'm going to smash them into the ground.''

I nodded in agreement.

''I agree with you. Salem does too, I'm sure.''

Mona snorted, and looked towards him, a disgusted look coming to her face, and voice.

''No, he doesn't. He wouldn't do anything to hurt Toru. She's got him so whipped, it's a wonder that he doesn't have to ask her permission to go to the bathroom.''

I frowned at her, and stiffened, trying to push away my anger before I spoke, but Misa beat me to it.'

''Mona! That is not nice. Salem is in love with Toru. He shouldn't WANT to do anything to hurt her. Especially not kill her sisters. How would you feel if Sai wanted to kill me?''

Mona frowned, and then shrugged after a moment.

''That's different. You're not a whore, or burning down buildings. And I was just stating a fact. There's no reason to be upset about it. ''

I sighed, and swallowed my irritation, realizing that Mona was just lashing out, because of her hurt. ''Where is Toru, anyways?''

Misa pointed towards the side of the wreckage, and I saw Toru standing next to Silva, Aubry's wife.

As I looked closer, I saw that Toru looked pale, and sick. Her arms were wrapped around herself tightly, as if she were afraid that she would shatter into pieces if she wasn't holding herself together.

I flinched suddenly, realizing how much worse this was for her. It was her own sisters that had burnt down Aubry's. Which her new boyfriend was a co-owner to. She was having to choose where her support would lie. Whether with her family, or with her love.

I was extremely glad, that I would never be placed in a position like her's. Seeing if I loved my family more then Gaara.

I shifted my eyes away from the broken girl, and glanced at Silva, who was watching Aubry, closely.

I knew that she had wanted Aubry home more, but she would have never wished this.

I looked back at the three guys, and started as I caught sight of Salem.

His face was drawn tight, and when his eyes locked with mine, I immediately stiffened in Gaara's arms.

Salem's eyes glittered dangerously in the sunlight, almost insanely. The last time I had seen his eyes like this, was before he had started taking his medicine, and still seeing the creatures.

I pushed myself out of Gaara's arms, and walked away from our small group, so I could talk to Salem in private. He saw me coming closer, and met me halfway, leaving his task of sifting through the ashes.

I could feel the intensity of eyes on my back, and knew that it wasn't just Gaara that was watching me curiously.

I locked eyes with Salem, and forced myself not to flinch. They were worse up close. They shifted, and shimmered. Resembling the shadows that moved in the moonlight.

I swallowed hard, and took a deep breath, forcing myself to look past Salem's unnerving eyes.

''You need to calm down.''

He narrowed his eyes defiantly, before speaking in the voice that I hated hearing from him. A patronizing, laughing tone, that I had come to associate with serial killers who are teasing their victims.

''I AM calm, Ria. At least as calm as to be expected. What makes you think that I'm not?'' He smirked unpleasantly. ''Maybe something dangerous in my eyes?''

I narrowed my own eyes, hiding my growing panic. If anyone said anything to him when he was like this, that is the tiniest bit irritating, Salem would snap, and hurt that person. He would regret it later.

I nodded slowly, making sure not to move hurriedly. ''You have the same look that you used to get while seeing the dark creatures. You need to get yourself under control, before you hurt someone. You can't lose control right now.''

He bared his teeth in an evil grin, taking a step closer to me.

''Oh, but I think that now is the PERFECT time to lose control. Those stupid girls don't even deserve to breath. They don't deserve to LIVE. Can't you see that? Don't you want to rid the world of their unworthy presence?''

I shook my head. ''I know you're angry Salem. We ALL are. Aubry's has been a part of our lives for so long, that it was like another home.'' I reached towards him, and turned him to look at Toru. ''But you can't kill Yuki, and Suki. Toru is their sister. She wouldn't understand if you lost control, and killed them. She's already so conflicted on what to feel, and she needs you.

She needs you to be strong, and help her through this. Not go insane, and go on a killing spree. If you did that, she would NEVER be able to see you again. And that would KILL her, because she loves you.''

I could see that he was slowly gaining control, and touched his arm gently.

''Salem. PLEASE understand what I'm trying to tell you. Toru is YOUNG. She has been sheltered, and this is her first time seeing the real world. She's never seen gruesome reality, and so doesn't know how to handle her emotions.

I know that you're upset. But Aubry's can be rebuilt. It is JUST a building. Though we grew up here, the building does not define who we ARE. You've come so far, and I don't want to see you back slide now, when you can finally be happy with someone. You are not the same little boy, that I found covered in his families blood. Sobbing with a Katana dropped next to him.

You can, and WILL be strong. If not for your sake, then for Toru's.''

His eyes had dimmed, and he dropped his head, staring at the ground. His shoulders slumping.

''I'm not a very good big brother am I? I'm supposed to help YOU through these tough times. Not the other way around.''

I smiled, and rolled my eyes. ''Don't worry about it. You help me all the time. And when your sane, you normally give good advice. It makes up for the few times a year that you go crazy.''

He chuckled, and looked up at me. ''Thanks, Little Sister. I guess I should go try to be a better boyfriend, then I am a brother.''

I laughed, and nodded. ''Yeah, you better. Toru can't handle your mood swings as well as I can. So be good.''

He smirked suddenly. ''But not TOO good, right?'' He waggled his eyebrows, and I wrinkled my nose, swallowing my laughter.

''Ew, Salem. You're gross.''

He grinned for a moment, before a sudden seriousness took over his features.

''Hey, Ri? Would you go to Sasorie's and pick up some of that medicine for me? I've been out of the stuff for a few days. I haven't slept well in awhile.''

I gasped, and put my hands on my hips.

''Seriously, Salem? Why haven't you went to get more?''

He shrugged, a smile coming back to his face. ''I've been with Toru. I didn't want to lose any time with her. Especially not for some medicine that I didn't know if I still needed.''

I sighed. ''But you do. Still need it, I mean.''

He nodded, and turned to look at Toru. ''Yeah. I think that I should take Toru away from here. She looks almost sick.'' He turned back to me, and smiled sadly. ''I'll see you at home, Little Sister.''

I nodded. ''Alright, Salem. Be careful to keep your emotions in check. We don't need any accidents.''

He sighed, and nodded. ''Just keep Mona out of my hearing distance, and it'll be okay.''

I smiled. ''Okay. I'll go straight to Dolly's from here.''

He smiled, and tugged at a strand of my hair that had fallen from its holder.

''Alright. Have a good talk with him. I'll see you at home.''

I nodded, and watched for a moment, before I made my way back to Gaara.

When I was in reaching distance, I instantly wrapped my arms around his waist, and buried my face in his chest. Tired suddenly.

Mona snorted, and I moved my head to look at her as she spoke.

''What was THAT about? Did you have to go play MOMMY to the BABY?''

My head turned in Salem's direction so fast, that my neck popped. I saw him glaring at Mona, and he took a threatening step forward. I shook my head violently, and he stopped, grabbing Toru's hand, dragging her in the direction of our home.

I turned back to Mona, and shot her a glare.

''Do you have a death wish? Because if you don't, then you need to watch what you say to Salem right now.''

She rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms.

''He can't do anything to me.'' She suddenly raised her voice, yelling at Salem's retreating back. ''He's too caught up in his girlfriend!''

I breathed a sigh of relief as he didn't even hesitate in his stride, before turning back to Mona. My irritation rising.

''Look, Mona. Salem is TRYING to stay calm. That doesn't mean that he won't lose his sanity briefly. So, if you know what's good for you, don't PUSH him. He's having some issues right now, and though he's trying NOT to, it doesn't meant that he WON'T kill you. And with how much he dislikes you, he may NOT regret it.''

She snorted, and turned away from me.

''Whatever, Ria. You need to quit defending him, like he's a child.''

I sighed, and shook my head. She just didn't know what Salem was capable of. We had kept his past a secret from most of the others.

I ignored her, and looked up at Gaara, smiling slightly. He was still standing on alert, preparing to fight. He had seen the warning signs from Salem, but now relaxed slightly as he smiled down at me.

''I need to go to Dolly's for a little bit. Will you come with me?''

He nodded, and I turned to look at the others. Mona was still turned away from me, silently seething. Misa was beside Kankuro, holding onto his arm tightly, and glancing between Mona, and her boyfriend worriedly. Kankuro just looked pleased to have Misa clinging to him.

I shrugged, and smiled at the couple. ''I guess that we'll see you two later.''

Misa smiled sadly, and Kankuro nodded, waving slightly.

''Guess so. Have fun.''

I nodded, and pulled Gaara away from the group, and onto the small road leading to Dolly's house.

I felt Gaara shift beside me, after the others had fallen away from sight, and he spoke for the first time since we left my home.

''Why did I get the feeling that Salem, was about to go on a killing spree?''

I sighed, and tightened my hand that was holding his.

''Because he was.''

Gaara's shoulders tensed, and I hurried to reassure him.

''Don't worry. He's fine now. He was just upset about Aubry's.'' Gaara looked at me doubtfully, and I smiled, squeezing his hand.

''I'll explain it to you later. But for right now: thank you for coming with me. Both to see the destruction of Aubry's and to Dolly's.''

Gaara smiled slightly, and shook his head.

''I'll probably stay outside.''

I shook my head quickly. ''Oh no, you won't. You're coming in. If Rosa is the only one home, you are not allowed to leave me alone with her.''

He frowned in confusion, but nodded all the same.

''Alright, Love. If you don't want me to leave you alone, then I won't.''

I smiled, sighing in relief. ''Good.'' I laughed suddenly, and wrapped my arms around Gaara, twirling us around.

''You get to meet my Niko!''

He looked at me in surprise, though I could see he amusement in his eyes.

''Your who, Love?''

I shook my head, and smiled. ''You'll see.''

He shook his head, and shrugged. ''Whatever you say, Love.''

I nodded, and hurried him down the road, wanting to see Dolly, and Niko soon.


	30. Chapter 30

**BLAH. BLAH. BLAH. I DON'T OWN NARUTO. BUT ENJOY THE STORY. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.**

I pulled us to a halt in front of Dolly's door, silently praying that Rosa wouldn't be home. I really didn't want to expose Gaara to our dysfunctional relationship. I really didn't need another guy I cared about going serial killer today.

I knocked on the door hesitantly and held my breath as I heard the movement inside. I looked up as the door opened, and to my horror it was Rosa herself that opened the door. I bit my lip, hoping that she would be so hormonal, that she would actually be civil to me.

Her eyes narrowed, and her lips curled into an unatractive snarl. No such luck.

''What do YOU want?''

I sighed, and tried to look around her.

''Hi, Rosa. Is Dolly home? I need to talk to him.''

Her fingers tightened on the door frame. ''There isn't anyone by that name that lives here, and you know that.''

I flinched at her harsh tone, and nodded. ''I know. I'm sorry. Sasori then. Is Sasori here.''

She snorted, and laid a hand on her protruding belly.

''Of course he is. He hasn't left me alone since he found out I was pregnant. He's very worried about me.''

I sighed, and wasn't sure if she was deliberately lying, or just didn't know that Sasori had left to visit in Suna. I shook my head. He had probably left a clone or puppet, so that she would think that he was home.

''Can I talk to him then? It's really important.''

She frowned. ''How important?''

I tried to force the irritation from my voice, but was interrupted before I could even attempt to answer by an excited squeal. A blur of red turned came into sight almost instantly after, and tackled my legs so hard, that Gaara had to steady me, so I didn't fall.

I laughed, and reached down to pick him up, hugging him tightly.

''Aunt Ri! Guess what Daddy, and I did today?''

I grinned, and kissed his cheek. ''What did you do?''

He giggled, and waved his hands. ''I got to help him design a puppet. He's not like his other puppets. I wanted him to look like a monster, so he's green, has bull horns, and a fish tale. Can I bring him to your house the next time I come over? I want to show it to Uncle Lem.''

I laughed, and nodded. ''Of course, Honey. As long as your parents don't mind.''

He smiled, and laid his head on my shoulder, snuggling into me. I shook my head, and looked back towards the door, finding Dolly standing in front of Rosa, smirking lightly.

I smiled slightly, and he pulled the door open wider, stepping out of the way, and pushing Rosa towards the living room.

''Go sit somewhere, Rosa. We don't need you hovering.''

Rosa huffed, and Shot me a glare, as I followed him, dragging Gaara with me.

Dolly led us into his study, and closed the door, before moving to sit at his desk. Nico squirmed from my arms, and ran to his father, climbing into his lap.

''Come see what I made, Aunt Ri!''

I smiled, and squeezed Gaara's hand before moving towards the desk. I saw Nico look at Gaara for the first time, and he stared at him, while I looked at the drawing of his puppet. I ruffled the childs hair, and wrinkled my nose playfully.

''That is one of the ugliest puppets that I've ever seen. Good job, kid.''

Nico grinned at me, his attention not leaving Gaara, and he pointed at the stoic Kazekage.

''Who's he, Aunt Ri?''

I looked behind me, and smiled at Gaara's expressionless face.

''His name's Gaara, Nico. He's...a very good friend of mine.''

Nico smiled, and slid off of Dolly's lap, running to Gaara, his puppet drawing in his hand.

''Do you wanna see my drawing, Mister?''

Gaara looked up at me in panic, and I nodded encouragingly.

Nico was already pulling on his shirt, coaxing Gaara to sit on the floor, so he could climb into his lap.

I saw Gaara's eyes widen in terror, and I laughed lightly, before turning back to Dolly. I walked around to his side of the desk, and hugged him, his arms squeezing me tightly.

''Hi, Dolly.''

He tightened his arms briefly, before releasing me, and relaxing back into his chair.

''I'm sorry that I wasn't the one to open the door for you. Nico was yelling, and I didn't hear your knock.''

I shrugged, and leaned a hip against the desk.

''Don't worry about it. You got there before any major argument could happen.''

He nodded, crossing his arms lightly.

''Good. How have you been?''

I shrugged. ''Fine. I'm happy for the most part. Though, I'm still upset at Aubry's burning. You heard about that?''

He nodded, and I realized how stupid my question sounded. He could see the smoke from his front porch.

He frowned suddenly, and locked his eyes with mine, pinning me in place.

''What did Rosa say to you, when you first got here?''

I bit my lip, and wrung my hands nervously. ''Well...just the usual questions, you know?''

He raised an eyebrow, and I knew that I wasn't going to get out of answering his question with such a vague answer.

''Such as?''

I shrugged, trying to tone down the hatred that had underlined her questions.

''She asked what I wanted. Reminded me that I needed to call you Sasori, and not Dolly, because that is not your name. And she wanted to know how important it was that I talk to you.''

His eyes narrowed, and he shook his head.

''I have always been, and will REMAIN, Dolly, to you. You have never called me Sasori, and I don't expect you to start now.''

I nodded. ''I know that. But she doesn't like that nickname, so I try to be careful not to use it in front of her.''

He frowned. ''Still. She should not be so harsh with you. Especially not about something so trivial.'' He sighed. ''It's times like these that I miss being in the Akatsuki. I could have been on a mission right now, and avoided her for days...weeks if I was lucky.''

I laughed, and he shook his head, returning his attention to me.

''Alright, Dearheart. Tell me what your real reason is for braving this hell hole.''

I winced at his comparison, knowing that he wasn't happy with Rosa. Though I thought that it was more about her clinginess, and her whining, then her small insults towards me.

''Salem is out of that miracle drug that you make him, and he sent me to see if you have any more.''

He nodded, and reached towards a drawer on his desk.

''Did something happen today? He should have been out of that last bottle weeks ago. I just assumed that he didn't need the drug anymore.''

I shrugged. ''He definitely still needs it.''

I looked towards Nico, and found him absorbed in whatever he was telling Gaara. Though I still lowered my voice, knowing how children would hear things that they didn't need to, no matter how much attention they didn't seem to be paying.

''Since he ran out of medicine, he hasn't been sleeping, and today, the stress of Aubry burning, and Mona teasing him, kinda got to him. He almost lost it. He didn't. But he ALMOST did. He just wasn't able to cope with the emotional strain of everything.''

I sighed, and ran a hand over my face.

''I guess that he just needs to keep taking the medicine, huh?''

He nodded, and placed three, blue, glass bottles on the desk.

''That would be best, I think. He hasn't had an episode, while taking the medicine, and though I know that he doesn't like it, it helps him.''

I nodded, and grabbed the bottles, holding them gently. I didn't need them to break.

''Alright. Then I better get these to him. Maybe he'll take some right away. I need him calm.''

I bent down, and gave Dolly a soft hug, making sure not to drop the bottles.

''Thanks, Dolly.''

He nodded, and looked over towards Nico, and Gaara.

''Nico. Say goodbye to the Kazekage, and Ria. They're going home.''

Nico looked up at me as I moved towards them, and pouted.

''You're leaving right now?''

I nodded. ''Yeah, Gaara, and I have to take Salem some medicine.''

Nico twisted, and flung his arms around Gaara's neck, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.

''Come back soon, Gaara. I'll have more drawings to show you.''

Gaara nodded slowly as Nico moved from his lap, to hug my legs briefly, before moving back to Dolly.

Gaara stood up, and I smiled at him before turning back to the pouting Nico.

''Can I come to your house soon, Aunt Ri?''

I shook my head. ''Probably not, hun. I'm going to Suna with Gaara for a little while.''

Nico's face lit up. ''Can I go with you?''

I shook my head. ''No, Nico. Your parents wouldn't want you to be away that long.''

He huffed, and crossed his arms.

''It's not fair. Why do parents have to ruin all the fun?''

I frowned, and looked at Dolly. He shrugged.

''Rosa wouldn't let the child go over to Itachi's. Which I found completely ridiculous. But what do I know? I'm just the father. I didn't carry the baby for nine months, and then have to endure the labour. So I don't get a say in his upbringing.''

I laughed, and shook my head. ''Careful, Dolly. That sounds a little bitter.''

He nodded, and I waved halfheartedly.

''Alright. We better go. I'll see the two of you later.''

Dolly nodded, and Nico waved at us until we were out of sight. I sighed, and looked hurried towards the front door, not wanting another encounter with Rosa.

Gaara had made it onto the porch, before a hand on my shoulder, whipped me around. I groaned silently as I came face to face with an enraged Rosa.

''How many times do I have to tell you that you are not welcome here? Sasori is getting sick of seeing you. He didn't even want me to open the door for you, but I didn't want to be rude, and leave you outside.

Sasori has his own children now. He doesn't need to play pretend with you. He's gotten tired of you. How many hints do you need before you realize that?''

I sighed softly, trying to ignore her vicious remarks, and waiting for her to get tired, so that I could leave.

She look past me, and caught sight of Gaara. Her lips turned up in an unkind smile. She took a step towards him, and I blocked her way, not wanting her to involve him.

She laughed harshly, and spoke over my head.

''You must be the boyfriend. You should take my advice, and dump her. She's not worth your time. I'm sure that with your looks, you could have any girl you wanted. Instead of some unattractive orphan, with ratty hair.''

I heard Gaara's footsteps as he moved towards us, and I quickly moved to stand in the doorway, blocking his way.

''Leave Gaara out of this, Rosa. If you have a problem with me, then you take that up with me.''

Rosa's face had turned beyond red, and was now closer to purple. I normally didn't say anything to her, when she was like this, just letting her say what she wanted, and then leaving. But I couldn't have Gaara stepping in. With the tension that was rolling off of him, I didn't know what he would do.

Rosa stuttered, and suddenly pushed me hard, causing me to fall into Gaara's arms.

''I want you out of my house, and off of my porch! And I dont EVER want to see you again, you little bitch!''

I heard Gaara growl, and quickly untangled his arms from around me, and pulled him off the porch and towards the road, Rosa's voice echoing after us in angry screams.

Once I heard the door slam, and the screams had faded away, I loosened my grip on Gaara's hand, and slowed our frantic pace to a walk.

After a few more seconds of walking in silence, Gaara pulled me to a stop. I looked at him in surprise, and flinched at his expression.

I could tell that he was angry, but it was covered by a worried look. I sighed.

''There's no reason to look at me like that, Gaara. I'm used to Rosa's insults. They don't bother me anymore.''

He frowned.

''Why does she treat you like that?''

I shrugged. ''Because I take Dolly's attention away from her, and she doesn't like that.''

He frowned, confussed. ''And you're alright with that? With her saying all of those awful things to you?''

I shrugged. ''I know that she's lying now. Though they used to bother me. But there's never been any love lost between Rosa, and I. She hasn't liked me since the moment that she saw me. And she's never made that a secret.''

He shook his head, and crossed his arms over his chest. ''Then why did Sasori marry her? He seems to care about you, so I don't understand why he would expose you to someone that was just going to hate you.''

I shrugged. ''She wasn't like that when he first met her. From what he's told me she was sweet, and caring, and completely different, until he married her. Then she just kinda went crazy. When he brought her home to meet me for the first time...''

I shook my head sadly, and broke off speaking.

Gaara frowned, suddenly pulling me off of the road, and sitting us underneath a tree.

''What exactly happened when you meet her, Ria?''

I shrugged, not really wanting to relive those memories, but Gaara persisted, grabbing my hands, and running his thumbs across my wrists.

''Why are you so worried about telling me?''

I sighed. ''It's not that, really. Though now that you mention it: I should be worried that you'll get angry, and go back to confront her.'' I shook my head. ''It's more that I don't like talking about it. Salem's the only one that I've told about what happened that day. I never told Dolly, because I didn't want to ruin his marriage. So I've pretty much kept it to myself.''

Gaara nodded. ''I would still like to know. If you can force yourself to tell me. I promise that I won't go after her. That should be Sasori's duty anyways.''

I nodded, and took a deep breath, forcing myself to remember what I had felt, and seen that first day.

''When I first heard that Dolly had met someone, I was excited for him. Though he would never admit it, I knew that he was a little lonely. In the Akatsuki, he was never really totally alone.

So when Die told me about Rosa, I was glad. Thinking that he had met someone that would be good for him.'' I shook my head. ''Obviously I was wrong.

Anyways, when Dolly walked through the door of my house, I instantly moved to hug him, tightly. He returned my hug, picked me up enough that I could see over his shoulder. I caught sight of an irritated looking young woman, and after he set me down, I looked past him, and smiled at her.

She didn't smile back, and I thought that she just didn't know who I was. It never occurred to me that she knew EXACTLY who I was, and that was why she was angry. Dolly saw where I was looking, and introduced us properly. When his eyes meet her's she smiled brightly.

You've seen Rosa. She's a very pretty woman, but when she smiles, it lights up her features, and she becomes even more attractive.

Seeing this, I was very satisfied with Dolly's pick of wife.

We moved to the couch after the introductions, and Dolly, immediately became engrossed in an argument he was having with Die. I had smiled at the two of them, knowing that they could be at that for hours. Normally I would either tune them out, or go to cook dinner, but I didn't want to leave Rosa alone. So I tried to make conversation with her.

I asked her how the trip was, and all she did was send me a haughty look, and scoot closer to Dolly on the couch. I shrugged this off, thinking that she was just shy, and the longer that she was around, the more comfortable she would become.

I didn't try to talk to her again, getting caught up in Dolly, and Die's conversation.

Die had some art thing to show Dolly, and they went outside, leaving Rosa, and I alone. I thought that since it was just the two of us, she might open up, and talk. But when I turned towards her, I saw that she was sizing me up, a snarl on her face.

''So you're the little Urchin that Sasori took in? With how he spoke about you, I thought that you would be pretty, or at least interesting. From what I've seen tonight, you're neither. You just look like a grungy little girl to me.'' She had sighed. ''Sasori is too kind for his own good. Always putting others before himself.''

I had stared at her in confusion, not really knowing what Sasori she had gotten to know. I had never heard of Dolly being called kind. And as far as I knew, no one other then her would think that way either.

I laughed in disbelief, and she glared. ''I don't appreciate you laughing. The sound grates at my eardrums. I want you to stay away from MY Sasori. Do you understand, Foundling? If he still wanted you, then he wouldn't have brought me here with him.''

I had frowned at her, and shook my head.

''You're wrong. Dolly loves me. And my name is RIA. Not foundling.''

She gasped, and moved quickly, slapping me so hard that my head snapped to the side.

I clutched my sore cheek, and drew my knees up to my chest, looking up at her in surprise. It had been so long since I had been hit, that I wasn't used to it anymore, and fought the tears that came to my eyes.

Rosa's eyes were filled with hatred, and she leaned forward, locking eyes with me.

''Don't you EVER call Sasori, DOLLY again. That is NOT his name, and he hates that nickname.''

She turned away from me suddenly, shooting me one more glare over her shoulder, and walked out the front door.

Neither Dolly or Die came back inside, and I thought that Rosa must have charmed them into leaving without saying goodbye. I sat on the couch, still in the position as before Rosa left, and stayed that way, until Salem walked inside.

He saw me sitting there, and pulled my hand away from my now bruised cheek, and I saw him frown.

''Ria, sweetheart. Who hurt you?''

I shrugged, not wanting to answer. ''Sasori's home.''

I saw the look of panic that came into his eyes when I didn't use his nickname, and he cupped my unhurt cheek.

''It was that woman he brought home, wasn't it? I thought that there might be some jealousy between the two of you, but I never thought that she would hurt you.''

He had hugged me suddenly. ''I'm sorry Ria.'' He pulled back, still holding onto my shoulders. ''You are never to be alone with that woman again, if you can help it. Understand?''

I nodded, and he had continued. ''And go back to calling Sasori, Dolly. You know that he enjoys his nickname.''

I had tried to smile at him, and grimaced as I felt my sore cheek, twinge.

Salem had growled, and pulled me up from the couch. ''We need to get you some ice on that. If that woman EVER touches you again...''

I sighed, and shook my head.

''Don't, Salem. If Dolly loves her, then we just have to deal with her.''

He had frowned, and placed an ice pack on my cheek. ''Fine. But I'm still not happy about this.''

I had nodded, and sat at the table, letting him warm stuff up for dinner.

I shrugged suddenly, and turned to look at Gaara for the first time since I started my story, flinching at his hatred in his eyes.

He reached out,a nd ran his hand over my long ago, healed cheek.

''She HIT you. And Sasori did NOTHING about it?''

I shook my head quickly. ''I never told him. I wanted him to be happy remember? And I thought that Rosa made him happy. I didn't want to be the thing to ruin that.'' I sighed. ''I should have left that part out of my story, I suppose.''

Gaara glared at me, pulling me into his lap suddenly. ''No, Love. I wanted to know. And I agree with Salem: You never need to be around that woman. Especially alone.''

I nodded, and stood up, Gaara following. ''I never am. But I think that we need to get this medicine to Salem now. He might come searching for us if we're not home before dark.''

Gaara smiled, and nodded, grabbing my hand again, and leading us in the direction of my house.


	31. Chapter 31

**I do not own Naruto. Enjoy** reading.

Salem met us at the door, eagerly taking the bottles from me. He looked over me once, making sure that I didn't have any new bruises, and once he was satisfied he said that he was going to take a nap with Toru.

I nodded, knowing that he probably needed it, and watched him as he quickly moved to his room. I shook my head, and lead Gaara to my own room, more then ready for a nap myself after the stress of the day.

Gaara seemed to understand this, and didn't wait for me to ask him to lay down, before he moved Butterball out of his way, and after kicking off his shoes, crawled under the covers.

I smiled at him, and quickly crawled in next to him, and pressed myself against his chest. I felt him sigh, and he wrapped his arms around me tightly, running his hands across my back.

I relaxed against him, already dozing, and groaned silently as his voice pulled me out of my almost slumber. I wondered why he had to pick the times that I was almost asleep, before speaking.

I hadn't made any effort to answer him, and I felt him try to pull away. I tightened my arms, and sighed.

''What, Gaara?''

He was silent for a few minutes, and I waited impatiently, before he finally sighed, and pulled me closer.

''I love you.''

I snorted, and pulled my head away from his chest, so I could look at his face, smiling softly.

''I love you too. But that's not really what you wanted to say, was it?''

He shrugged, and suddenly began to gnaw at his bottom lip. I forced my body to remain still, though I had the impulse to take over that gesture, and kiss him harshly.

He began speaking again, and I saw the hesitation in his eyes, as I forced my eyes away from his mouth.

''I have to return to Suna, tomorrow. Do you still want to come back with me? I mean I WANT you too. But if you don't WANT too. I won't make you.''

I rolled my eyes, and moved my hand from between our bodies to cup his cheek. He nuzzled into the palm as I spoke.

''Is that what you're worried about? That I don't really want to go back with you?''

He nodded, his eyes closed, and his lips resting against my palm. I smiled, and waited until he looked at me.

''I WANT to return to Suna with you Gaara. I like to be with you. And it would take so much more then just ASKING me to return with you to be considered as forcing me.

I have nothing to do around here, so I might as well take a trip, and truthfully, there is not any other place that I would rather be, then with you.'' I grinned suddenly. ''And besides...It's not like I can leave you to travel back to Suna alone with Misa, and Kankuro. That would just be cruel.''

He looked at me blankly, and I huffed.

''Oh, C'mon, Gaara! You didn't think that your brother wouldn't jump at the chance to take Misa back with him, did you?''

He shrugged.

''I didn't really think about it. I was more concerned with getting YOU to come back with me. I didn't even think about Kankuro, and what he was going to do.''

I laughed, and shook my head. ''It's alright.'' I paused. ''Unless you don't want Misa to go back to Suna, and then it just wouldn't be far if I got to go, and she didn't.''

Gaara shrugged, and leaned down to kiss me softly.

''I don't care what Misa, and Knakuro do. Wether she goes to Suna, or not. Just as long as you go with me.''

I smiled, and moved to kiss his jaw. He turned his head suddenly, and caught my lips in a harsh kiss. He pulled back after a while, letting me gasp in breath. He looked behind him at the still sleeping panda, before rolling us, so that he could hover above me.

''I had to make sure that the fluffball wouldn't interrupt again.''

I was able to smile for a moment, before his mouth returned to mine. He snaked his arms around me, holding us tightly together. I tangled my hands in his hair, scratching slightly at his scalp. He groaned, and tightened his arms, crushing our bodies together.

I was the first to pull away, gasping in air, but Gaara didn't even pause as he went lower, and began to lay open mouthed kisses down my neck, to the bend of my shoulder. He bit down suddenly, and I gasped in surprise. He pulled back instantly, and looked at me with foggy eyes, his lips swollen.

''Are you alright? What's wrong?''

I nodded slightly. ''Yeah. You just surprised me when you bit me.''

He frowned, his eyes clearing suddenly. ''I bit you?''

I nodded, and leaned my head to the side, showing him the spot that he had bitten.

He grimaced, and ran his thumb across the spot that his mouth had just left.

''I left a bruise.'' I heard the self loathing in his voice, and smiled softly.

''It's alright. It didn't really hurt. You just startled me, is all.''

He bit his lip. ''So, I didn't hurt you?''

I smiled, and shook my head. ''No, Gaara. You didn't hurt me.''

He smirked. ''So you don't mind if I continue, then?''

I laughed, and shook my head. Gaara's mood swings were hard to keep up with.

He returned to my mouth, and bit lightly at my lower lip. I snorted in amusement at his newfound ability. He moved away from my mouth, kissing up my jaw to my ear, and licking the shell.

I gasped in surprise, before bursting out laughing. I bit my lip, against any other stray giggles, and Gaara pulled back to look at me, his gaze curious.

''What's so funny?''

I shook my head, and avoided his eyes. ''I don't want to tell you.''

I glanced at him to find a horrified expression on his face. ''Is it another thing that I need to ask Kankuro about?''

I smiled, and shook my head. ''No. Kankuro wouldn't know about this. It's about me personally.''

Gaara paused for a moment, before smirking impishly. His arms around me, tightening harshly.

''I see. Then I really should know what this secret is, shouldn't I. Why don't you save us both the trouble, and just tell me what it is?''

I shook my head, nad tried to wriggle away from him. ''Nope. I told you, I'm telling you. You would just use it against me at some point.''

He grinned. ''I still think that I should know.'' He bent closer, and nuzzled his nose against the smooth skin under my ear. ''Please, tell me Ria? Please?''

A noise that sounded like a purr, rumbled through his chest, and he licked at my jaw, causing me to gasp.

I bit my lip, and forced myself not to notice how his purring reverberated through his chest, and into mine. Who tought him how to wring secrets out of people like this? I frowned. That was me, wasn't it? Dang. But I didn't think that he would be this GOOD at it.

I shook my head, both in refusal to answer, and trying to clear my mind. I had to try a few times to get my voice to work, and when I finally spoke my voice was unsteady, and breathless.

''N...No. I'm not going to tell you.''

Gaara smiled, and as my eyes locked with his heat filled gaze, I almost lost my willpower, and told him what he wanted to hear. That impish smirk returned, and he shook his head.

''Oh, but I think you will, Love. Really I do. You're not as strong as you think you are. Not when I can see your will breaking with every touch.''

I shook my head, knowing that I should have been offended since I had just been sweetly insulted. But I just couldn't think past how his mouth had moved to nip at my collar bones. I knew suddenly that the only reason that I hadn't cracked was because I wanted more of his attention. I had never seen him this way. Like he had lost any doubts of himself, and didn't mind being teasing, and playful.

I gasped suddenly as he bit my shoulder harshly. Harder then any other nips that he had given me.

I grasped the sheet as he soothed the now bruised spot, and forced myself to not make an approving noise.

He grasped my wrists, and moved my hands from the sheets, and held them above my head, locking me in place with one of his hands. His other hand skimmed across my body, and I whined as he returned to kissing my neck, his voice a growl as he spoke.

''What's your secret love?''

I frowned, and shook my head. I didn't remember what he was talking about. He took my silence as a refusal to answer, and growled, and leaned up to barely touch his lips to mine. I tried to lift my head up, to press our lips harder together, but he pulled away.

''Tell me why you laughed, love, and I'll kiss you.''

His lips brushed against mine gently, and I groaned, trying to remember what he had done to make me laugh. He nipped at my jaw, and I whimpered.

''You..You licked my ear earlier.''

He nodded encouragingly, stoping his movements so I could think.

''It tickled. My ears are ticklish, and I don't like to be tickled, and I knew that if I told you, you would use the information against me. You like to tickle me.''

He smirked, and kissed me harshly.

''You're right. I will use that information sooner or later. I need some advantage against you.''

He smiled down at me, a spark in his eyes.

''Now, I'll tell YOU a secret.''

His eyes traveled over my pinned body, and he smirked. ''You are making me crazy. I feel like my body is on fire. And I LIKE it. I like the way that you're making me feel. I'm learning things about myself that no one even mentioned could exist.''

He leaned down to lick my ear, ans I giggled softly. He pulled back, and smiled down at me, squeezing his hand around my wrists, gently.

''I like having you pinned under me like this. I don't know why, but I do.''

I tried to glare up at him, but knew by his grin that it didn't have the desired effect with my hazy eyes.

''Shame on you, you domineering person. Liking having someone pinned down.''

He shook his head, and leaned down to kiss my lips briefly before laying his head on my chest. His hands released my wrists, and slid down to tangle in my hair.

''Getting you to crack, and tell me what I wanted to know, was tiring. I need a nap now.''

I laughed, and wrapped my arms around him, rubbing his back gently. He probably needed a nap, anyways.

I stayed still, and listened to his breathing even out, and his body relax against mine, before closing my eyes, and joining him in sleep.


	32. Chapter 32

**I DO N OT OWN NARUTO! BOO.**

I woke up to a groan, and the hand that was wrapped in my hair, tightening slightly.

I opened my eyes, and saw Gaara's eyelids flutter rapidly. He was dreaming, and I watched him for a minute, to make sure that it was a normal dream, and that he won't hurt himself again.

After a moment, I began to rub my hands across his back, and he settled back against me quickly, his nose nuzzling into my chest.

I looked at the rings around his eyes, and frowned as I noticed that they had become darker, since I had left him. I knew that he didn't sleep much, even with Shukaku gone. But he didn't have the extra energy boost that Shukaku gave him. He needed to sleep more, and he seemed to do that when I was with him.

I rolled my eyes, supposing that I would just have to convince him to take more naps when we returned to Suna.

''What are you thinking about so hard, Love?'' I frowned as I heard his voice, thinking for a moment that I had just imagined it. I suddenly noticed the slow movements his fingers were making. As they twirled my hair.

''Nothing really. I just decided that if you needed me with you, to fall asleep, that I would have to force you to take a nap with me a lot.''

I felt him smile against my skin.

''Good. I do sleep better when you're next to me. When I hold you, I find that I'm able to sleep deeper, and for longer periods of time.''

He opened his eyes, and smiled at me.

''The Doctor in Suna that examined me after Shukaku was extracted, told the council, that I needed more sleep, then what I was getting, and had them put that couch in my office. They recommended that I take a nap at least twice a week. I may have to follow through with their suggestion when we get back.''

I laughed, and shrugged. ''But you don't sleep a lot even when I AM with you.''

He smirked. ''But they don't need to know that.''

I shook my head, still smiling. Whatever you say, Hon.'' I frowned suddenly, and tightened my arms around him. ''From what I've heard, I don't think that I like this Council very much.''

Gaara shrugged. ''I don't care for them much myself, the old Windbags.''

I stared at him in shock for a moment, before bursting out, laughing.

''I can't believe that you just called people, 'Windbags.' I've never heard you give someone such an insulting nickname.''

I was still laughing, when Gaara moved to hover over me.

''I CAN insult people, Love. I just prefer not too.''

I shook my head, and tried to get control of my stray giggles. ''Still...you're not the refined, and proper guy that I thought you were when I first met you. You surprise me, a lot.''

He smiled, and shook his head. ''It's YOU who constantly surprise me, Love. You handle the people, and problems around you so very calmly. Mona, and Salem constantly bicker, and you don't threaten to kill them, like I do when Kankuro, and Temari do the same.

You handled Salem's urge to kill today, like it was nothing. Plus you have an adopted family that consists of Rogue ninja's.''

He smirked. ''And then there's me. The feared ex-vessal of the Shukaku. You have some seriously scary men in your life.''

I laughed, and leaned up to rub my nose against his. He pulled back, startled, and stared at me with wide eyes as I spoke.

''I suppose that I do. But I wouldn't have it any other way. You all keep my life interesting.''

He smiled, his surprise at my Eskimo kiss disappearing.

''You're life is interesting enough without any help. Just today, you dealt with Aubry's burning, and Sasori's jealous wife.''

A dangerous light came into Gaara's eyes, and his hands in my hair, and around my hip, tightened painfully.

''She insulted you, and lied to you. Something, that had I been in your position, I would have confronted her on.''

I smiled comfortingly, and moved one of my hands to cup his cheek.

''It's alright, Gaara. I told you from the beginning that it's a mutual dislike between Rosa, and I. And if I thought that it would do any good, I would scream, and fight with her, with everything that I have. But all that would do, is make her even angrier, and hurt Dolly.''

He sighed, and I watched the death glint that had entered his eyes, slowly diseppear.

''I know it wouldn't make a difference, but I just don't like seeing you hurt, and knowing that I can do something to stop that hurt. Even if I have to kill those people.''

I shook my head, and shrugged. ''It's alright. But can you loosen your hands a bit? I loose enough hair when it's being brushed.''

His eyes widened, and he instantly released me. I sighed in relief as the pressure on my hip, and the pulling of my hair stopped.

Gaara bit his lip. ''Did I hurt you?''

I paused for a moment, before shaking my head. ''Not really. I lost a few strands of hair, but that's nothing compared to what would happen if the raggedy mass was being brushed.''

Gaara frowned. ''Is that all?''

I was about to nod, but his arm pressed lightly into my hip, and I grimaced.

''I think my hip might be a bit bruised.''

He instantly tried to move away from me, and I was suddenly glad that my arms were wrapped around him, since I could hold him to me. From the look on his eyes, I had no doubt that he would have moved toward the corner of the room, and curled up there, refusing to come near me again, if I let him go.

When he tried to move away again, I tightened my arms, and wrapped my legs around him, successfully stilling him. He looked at me, exasperated, and I smiled up at him, mockingly.

''Will you please let go of me? I need to get off of you?''

I shook my head, and pulled him closer.

''I don't think so. The only reason you now want to move, is because you've convinced yourself that you've hurt me. Isn't it?''

He tried to glare at me, but I simply raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for his reply. He finally sighed, and nodded.

''Yeah.''

I shook my head, and shrugged. ''Well I don't want you to move. Not when you're feeling so disappointed in yourself. I'm not hurt anymore then if I ran into the table, or when I run into a door, because I'm not watching where I'm going.''

He gave me a skeptical look. ''You walked into a door?''

I nodded, and smiled. ''Yeah. About a year ago. Aubry's had a door that you just pushed, and it opened, for a long time. But about a year ago, they changed out the door, and you had to turn the knob before it opened.

Well, one night, it had been extremely busy, and I was really tired, and forgot about the door being changed out. So I was walking full speed, talking to Salem, when I rammed into the door, so hard that I fell backwards.

Salem actually had to carry me home, because I had literally knocked myself silly, and started having dillusions. From then on I remembered that I needed to turn the doorknob to open the door.''

Gaara stared at me for a moment, before his body began to shake, in his normal silent laughter, and he leaned down to nuzzle his face into my neck.

''You REALLY ran into a door? So if I asked Salem about this, he would tell me the same?''

I glared up at the ceiling, before answering dryly. ''If he's not laughing too hard. He's never let me live it down. I don't remember what I said on the way home, but apparently I was talking about pink bunnies with sythes, and black capes.''

Gaara's body shook harder, and he shook his head.

''A pink bunny?''

I nodded. ''With a sythe, and black cape.''

Gaara, grinned, and rose up, so he could look at me.

''I need to get up, so I can take a shower. I can smell the smoke, and fire on me.''

I smiled. ''As long as you can tell me that you're not upset with yourself anymore.''

He bit his lip, and I unwrapped my arms to frame his face with my hands.

''There's no reason to be. You didn't mean to grip me so hard. You didn't even realize that you were doing it. You were just angry, and your body instantly responded to your emotions. There's nothing wrong with that.''

He sighed, and laid a kiss to my forehead.

''You've had to reassure me a lot today.''

I shrugged. ''You just need a lot of attention today I guess. But since were on the subject of reassurance, let me tell you that I love you.''

His eyes lit up, ans he bent to kiss me lightly.

''I love you too, Ria.'' He untangled himself quickly, and moved towards his bag. ''But I was serious about that shower. I don't like the smell of smoke.''

I shrugged, and sat up, pointing towards a door on my wall. ''Through there. Do you have your own shampoo?''

He nodded, and I giggled. ''Good. Because, if you didn't then Salem's clothes wouldn't be the only thing that smelt like a girl.''

Gaara rolled his eyes, and smiled. ''No, Love. I think that I would rather leave the girl smells to you.''

I smiled, and watched as he moved towards the bathroom. ''I'll be out in a little bit.''

I nodded, and stood up. ''Alright. I'm going to go make us some food.''

I saw him nod, before the door closed, and I went to pick up Butterball, before making my way towards the kitchen. Hopefully we had enough groceries to make a decent meal.

/

I was scrounging around the kitchen, finding that my lack of shopping had caused a lack of eatable food. I was mumbling to myself, when I heard a movement from the doorway. I looked over my shoulder, and saw a freshly showered Gaara, his hair still dripping, and smiled as he walked over to me.

''Did you enjoy your shower?''

He shrugged, and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to him tightly.

''As much as possible. I'm not to fond of water. Because of Shukaku, it's always made me feel weaker. I thought that when he was extracted that I could enjoy the water, but I guess that was wrong.''

I nodded my head, and sighed softly as I breathed in. Whatever soaps Gaara used in the shower smelt really good. He always smelled nice, but since the smell was fresh...I sighed again.

Gaara pulled away slightly, and I looked up at him to see his curious expression.

''Are you alright, Love?''

I nodded, and hummed.

''Yeah. I'm fine. Did you know that you smell really good?''

He started, and his eyes widened.

''Is that why you were clinging to me?''

I frowned up at him, and shrugged. ''I guess so. Though I wasn't aware that I was. I'm sorry.''

He smiled, and shook his head. Pulling me closer.

''Don't be. I like having you this close, and if I had known that this would be how you would react, I would have taken more showers. Even if I don't like them.''

I laughed, and nuzzled my nose into his cloth covered chest. He began to run his fingers through my hair, and I closed my eyes, content to let him hold me.

''Not that I want you to move, but are you not hungry?''

I shrugged. ''A little bit. But I can't force my body to move.''

He smiled, and tightened his arms, laying a kiss to my hair. ''That's fine with me, Love. I don't want you to move, and I'm not hungry. But I don't want your stomach to start yelling at me.''

I laughed, and let him hold me for a few more moments, before pulling away from him.

He pouted. ''Are you leaving me now?''

I smiled, and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him lightly. ''Only for a little bit. I need to find us something to eat, before it gets to late.''

He crossed his arms over his chest as I moved away, his pout still in place. I laughed at his antics. He could be such a child sometimes.

I climbed onto the cabinet, looking into the top shelf, and found a few cups of instant ramen. I let out a triumphant noise as I pulled two cups from the cabinet, and turned to find Gaara staring at me in amusement.

''Are you going to come down, Love.''

I nodded, and moved to jump down, when he was sudenly in front of me, pulling me down to the floor.

I smiled, and turned, once my feet were on the ground, to get the ramen cups.

Gaara pouted at me again, as I moved away, and I laughed. ''If you're good, Gaara, I'll let you have a cookie after dinner.''

He hesitated. ''Can't I have it now?''

I smiled, and moved to boil water. ''Will that make you stop pouting?''

Gaara huffed, his pout increasing. ''I do not pout, Ria.''

I raised an eyebrow, and smirked at him. ''Oh, really? Because from what it looks like from here, the pout that you're wearing would make Niko very proud of you.''

Gaara shrugged.'' I don't pout, and I doubt that Niko does either. He's a good kid. Now can I have my cookie?''

I rolled my eyes, and pulled the a cookie from the jar beside me, handing it to him.

''Here. But you still have to eat your dinner.''

He nodded, and nibbled at the cookie, as I poured the boiling water into the ramen cups. When I turned around again, I noticed that Gaara had taken his normal place at the table, and was finishing off the cookie.

I rolled my eyes, and moved towards him, setting the ramen down in front of him. I waited till he looked up at me, and placed my hands on my hips, speaking in what Salem refered to as my 'mommy tone.'

''Now I expect you to eat of that ramen, and not to have spoiled your appetite with that ginormous cookie.''

He stared up at me in surprise, before nodding his head, and pulling the ramen towards him. I smiled, and moved to my own chair, before taking a bite of my own food. All in all it wasn't that bad. Though it didn't really compare to the ramen that we had gotten at the market on our first outing together.

We were silent for a few minutes, before Gaara spoke, a slight hesitancy in his voice.

''You know, no one has ever spoken to me the way that you just did. Temari is the only one that comes close, and even she would never use that tone of voice with me.''

I shrugged, and took our now empty cups to the trash.

''I'm not like the other people that you know, though. I'm not afraid of you, and I don't speak to you any differently then someone else that I love. And if that calls for me to be stern with you, then I will.''

He frowned, and leaned back into his chair. ''So, you're stern with people that you care about?''

I looked at him startled, before realizing that Gaara had never had anyone around in his childhood that really cared about him. I sighed, and walked towards him, lowering myself onto his lap, and wrapping my arms around his neck, before answering his question.

''I AM stern to people that I care about. However, I'm not any different then a lot of people in the world that have the same philosophy. Though there is a difference between being stern, and being harsh.''

Gaara bit his lip, and nodded. ''When I was a child, I noticed that the parents of the village would scold their children or even punish them. I used to be glad that my caretakers were to frightened of me to tell me what to do, but now I wonder if I would have turned out differently if they had cared enough to tell me no.''

I shrugged, and kissed him gently. ''There's no use in regretting the past, hon. And who's to say if you would be Kazekage today if they had. Or if you would be here with me. Your life could have been completely different, or it might not have been. There's no way of telling.''

He nodded, and pulled me closer to him, letting me rest my head against his chest.

''I have accepted my past, and I try to redeem myself of the horrors that I've committed. But sometimes the past comes back to haunt me, and I realize how much of a monster I really was.''

I pulled back, and glared at him, and he kissed me gently. ''Let's go for a walk, Love. I need some exercise before we go back to bed. I've slept too much today, anyways.''

I nodded, and let him push me away from him, before he grabbed my hand, and led me out the back back door. I smiled as I saw the sunset, and pulled him towards the path behind my house, that led to a small body of water.

''Let's go this way. The moonlight is pretty when it reflects off the lake.''

He nodded, and let me lead him down the tree lined dirt road.

We were silent as we walked down the road, and I smiled, as the setting sun changed the color of the leaves from a yellow, and brown, to a dark amber. Though the fall was much cooler then I liked, it didn't stop the fact that I loved watching the leaves change colors.

We came into sight of the lake, and I pulled him to a grassy hill that overlooked the best spot, where the moon would shine.

I leaned against Gaara's shoulder, and smiled as he wrapped his arms around me.

As the sun set, and the moon rose, the chilly air turned uncomfortably cold, and I snuggled closer to Gaara, trying to steal some of his warmth.

He looked at me, concerned, before pulling me into his lap, and curling his body around me, warming me instantly.

''Why are you so cold?''

I shrugged, and snuggled closer to him. ''Stupid, cold wind. I was fine a moment ago.''

Gaara shook his head, and rubbed my arm. ''But, Love. You're always cold. Even when it's not that cold, you still shiver.''

I nodded, and shrugged. ''It's a side affect from the fire element. There's hardly a time when I'm NOT cold.''

He paused a moment before nodding, his face lighting in understanding.

''I had wondered why you seemed so comfortable in the Suna heat. Most people don't like it, including Naruto. I don't know how many times, he's passed out from the heat.''

I laughed, and shook my head. ''What a drama queen...er Hokage.''

Gaara smiled, and shrugged. ''He WILL be Hokage one day. I know it. He's capable of helping so many people already. People that were considered un-helpable. He helped me.

I wouldn't be the person that I am today if he hadn't beat some sence into me. '' He sighed deeply, before continuing. ''I wonder sometimes what you would have thought of me, if we had met before I went to the leaf village.''

I giggled, and turned my head to look at him. ''I would have thought that you were one of the cutest boys that I had ever seen, with beautiful aqua eyes.''

He sighed, and rolled his eyes in exasperation. ''I was being serious, Love.''

I giggled again, and shrugged. ''So was I, Gaara.''

He held my gaze for a few moments, before his eyes widened. ''You were weren't you?''

I nodded, and smiled. ''Absolutly. I might have been a little frightened of you, but I would have never showed it. Dolly taught me not to after my run in with Orochimaru. I probably would have confronted you if you threatened me, but I wouldn't have had the courage to talk to you first otherwise. I just don't have that type of personality. If you remember, you were in my house for a week before I even said HELLO to you personally.''

He nodded. ''I remember. I WOULD have threatened you eventually. I would have felt drawn to you, even then, and Shukaku wouldn't have liked that. He would have told me to kill you. That way I wouldn't have to deal with the confusing feelings, or the pain that you would eventually cause me.

I wouldn't have listened at first, but I eventually would have given in, and wrapped you in sand. Most likely when you were alone. I would have used my sand to squeeze you, and watch the look on your face, as your breath fled your body. I would have asked you, if you cared about your pitiful life, and you would answer...actually, Love, I have no idea what you would say. You surprise me so often.''

He shook his head, and I smirked. ''I would have told you to get your stinking sand away from me, because it was getting into places that I prefered for sand not to be. And that if you didn't put me down, then I would have to take drastic measures, and I really didn't want to do that.''

He frowned. ''I wouldn't have liked that. At all. The fact that you thought that you could hurt me would be enough for me to tighten the sands hold.

You would have gasped for breath, and I would have paused for a moment, waiting to see what type of attack you would have used to free yourself.

I probably wouldn't have known that you could control fire, and it would have surprised me to see flames shooting at me. The sand, of course, would have protected me, but I would have been stunned that you didn't have to use a jutsu.

Shukaku would have been telling me to kill you by then. Telling me to finish it quickly, so you wouldn't have time for another attack. But I wouldn't be able to kill you. I KNOW I wouldn't. My feelings for people haven't changed. Just the appreciation for their lives.

Even in that time of my life, I would have still felt something for you. Though I would have never admitted it, and tried to smother it, I wouldn't have been able to hurt you more then a few scratches, and bruises. I would have hated myself, if I did.

After that encounter, I would have been careful to avoid you. I wouldn't want to face the feelings that you caused in me. Though I'm sure that you would have tracked me down, wanting to talk.''

He glared at me playfully, and tightened his arms briefly. ''Wouldn't you, Love?''

I smiled and nodded. ''That's right. If you gave me a reason, I would have wanted to talk to you. And almost killing me, would have been a good reason in my book. Especially when you didn't follow through.

I would have been curious, and that curiosity would have overcome any sanity that told me to run from you. And then when I found you, and broke you down to tell me what you had gone through, I wouldn't have been able to leave you alone.''

Gaara sighed, and pulled me against him tightly. ''I would have enjoyed having you there. Though I would have never admitted it, and pretended that I didn't care what you did.''

I smiled, and kissed his jaw. ''I'm glad. That you would have liked having me there.''

He nodded. ''Are you ready to go back?''

I nodded, and stood up, pulling him with me. ''I need a shower, and need to pack. I haven't done that yet.''

He nodded, and laid a kiss to my head. ''Alright. We need to leave tomorrow.''

I wrinkled my nose, and let him lead me back towards the house. ''And you're probably wanting to leave early, aren't you?''

He smiled, and nodded. I groaned. ''Lovely.''

He grinned at me, and squeezed my hand gently. ''I told Kankuro before we reached Aubry's that I wanted to leave by seven, tomorrow.''

I wrinkled my nose, and began to think about what I would need to bring with me to Suna.


	33. Chapter 33

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. **

As we entered my room I found Butterball lying on my bed, a note beside him. I frowned, and went to pick it up, reading the hurried script.

**Little Sister: I went to take Toru home. Before that, I took Butterball out around eight. I'll probably stay at Toru's...on the couch. But I'll be back early tomorrow to tell you goodbye.**

I shrugged, and moved to grab my duffel bag. Gaara had already changed into a pair of night pants, and crawled into bed.

He watched me as I moved around my room, muttering, and throwing things into the bag. I caught him smirking at me, and frowned. ''Don't you laugh at me. This is how I pack, and it works.''

He shrugged, and folded his arms under his head. ''Whatever you say, Love.''

I stuck my tongue out at him, and grabbed a pair of night clothes.

''I'm going to take a shower.''

He nodded, and closed his eyes. ''Alright, Love. I'll be here.''

I rolled my eyes, and moved into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I let the hot water run for a few moments as I looked at the bruise on my side from earlier in the afternoon.

It was an ugly shade of purple, and I would need to keep him from seeing it, or remembering that it was there.

I shrugged, and felt the water, making sure that it was warm enough, before stepping under the spray.

I sighed as the hot water eased my muscles, just standing still for a moment.

I would need to hurry, if I wanted to sleep, but I couldn't seem to force myself to leave the warmth of the shower. I finally turned off the water, and jumped out of the stall, pulling on my clothes as fast as I could. Though apparently it still wasn't fast enough, since my teeth began to chatter.

I shivered as I turned off the light to my room, and crawled into bed beside, Gaara. He groaned, and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to into his side.

''You're cold again.''

I nodded, and snuggled closer to him. ''I'm sorry.''

He shook his head, and rolled us suddenly, so that he was laying halfway on top of me, sharing his body heat. I sighed, and wrapped my arms around his back, feeling his voice rumble as he spoke.

''I wonder sometimes if the only reason that you keep me around is because I'm warm.''

I laughed, and turned my head to kiss him quickly.''No. There's other reasons too.''

He smiled, and shook his head, before tightening his arms. ''Go to sleep, Love. I don't want you to be cranky tomorrow.''

I laughed, and nodded. ''Alright. I love you.''

I felt him smile against my neck, and lay a kiss there. ''I love you too.''

I sighed, and let his steady breathing relax me into sleep.

/

I groaned softly, and rolled towards the warm spot, that had until recently held a body.

I curled into a ball, savoring the remain traces of heat in the mattress, before hearing a movement next to me. I then felt gently finger running over my hair, and stilled instantly, not wanting to let on that I was awake, and listening intently as the person spoke.

''So you're taking my girl away from me, are you?''

I frowned lightly, recognizing Dolly's voice. Gaara's voice answered, but it was across the room.

''Just to Suna. And then it's just until Aubry's is rebuilt. I doubt that I can convince her to stay longer, if she thinks that she can return to work.''

Dolly chuckled harshly, though his fingers continued their gently movements on my hair.

''Don't be so sure of that. Ria, worked at Aubry's more out of obligation, then actual enjoyment. She's worked there since she was 13, and the debt that she thinks that she owes to him has been paid off for a while. She has no reason to return. ''

I forced myself not to give myself away, and speak up. Telling him that I DID have a reason to come back. A few of them actually. I couldn't stand not seeing him, and Niko again. And I knew that Salem had Niko, but he was still my brother, and I would miss him. And Weasel, and Die, too. I couldn't just leave them all behind.

I managed to stay quiet, and almost smiled at Gaara's reply.

''You're wrong. Even if she doesn't want to return to Aubry's, she won't want to leave you, and the rest of her 'family'. She loves all of you very much. Especially Niko.''

He knew me well.

Dolly's hand stilled, resting on the crown of my head.

''I'll be blunt with you. I HAD been hoping that my words would make you think that Ria had no reason to return, and you would do everything in your power to keep her with you. But apparently she has you as charmed as she has the rest of us.''

He patted my cheek gently, before speaking to me.

''Sit up, Dearheart. I know that you're not asleep, and what I'm about to say concerns you as well.''

I opened my eyes, and smiled. ''Hi, Dolly.''

He smiled back, slightly, watching me sit up, before turning back to Gaara.

''I WAS disappointed that Ria was going with you to Suna. But now I am thankful that she agreed.''

I stared at Dolly, confused. Something was wrong. He shook his head, disgustedly.

''Rosa is a whore.''

I looked at him, surprised by the vehemence in his voice.

I looked at Gaara, and saw his hard look, before swallowing, and turning back to Dolly.

''Wh...What happened Dolly?''

He made a disgusted noise, and crossed his arms. ''What didn't? After you left she came storming into my study, shouting something about you being an awful child, and how she didn't want you at the house anymore. I couldn't understand most of what she was saying, but Niko was still in the room, and I asked her if she would rather take the discussion to another room.

She didn't acknowledge that I had spoken, and Niko walked over to her, tugging on her skirt. Trying to calm her down. She raised her hand to strike him.''

My eyes widened, and I fell onto my knees. ''She HIT Niko?'' I was livid. I had never wanted to kill someone so badly in my life, but my mind was already stuttering off ideas on how to get rid of the body,

Dolly smirked, and shook his head. ''No, Dearheart. I caught her hand before she could even come close. You know how I feel about parents hitting their children.''

I nodded, and Gaara snorted. ''She hit, Ria.''

My eyes widened, and I shot a glance at him, before turning back to Dolly, finding a deadly glint in his eyes.

''When?''

I twisted my fingers together, chuckling nervously. ''Not in a while. It was when you first brought her here...''

I trailed off at his look, and bit my lip. ''And how many times did she hit you since?''

I groaned. Dolly and his questions! I sighed, and felt my shoulders slump. ''Everytime that I was alone with her, and called you Dolly. She was careful that the bruises wouldn't show.''

It was hard to look at either Dolly, or Gaara as the blood lust in their eyes increased.

Dolly's hands clenched tightly. ''Why didn't you ever tell me about this?''

I shrugged, and plucked at the blanket. ''I didn't want to cause any more problems between the two of you. And I was afraid that if I told you, you would have killed her.''

Dolly chuckled, without humor. ''Oh, no dear. I would have made her suffered more then just death. If she wasn't dead now, she would wish she was, when I finished with her.''

My eyes widened, and I grabbed his sleeve. ''What do you mean, 'if she wasn't dead now'? What happened, Dolly?''

He shrugged, and tilted his head.

''She went into labour this afternoon. All of the emotions that she allowed herself to feel, caused her contractions to start. I went to get the doctor, and by the time I came back she was already far along.

Because of the stress she put on her body, the baby was stillborn, and she bled out after having it.''

I bit my lip, against the sudden tears, and shook my head. ''I'm so sorry, Dolly.''

He shook his head. ''Don't be, Ria. None of this is your fault. But that's not the reason that I wanted you to go to Suna: I've had to write Rosa's family about what had happened, and I know that they are going to be convinced that I killed her, and the baby.''

I frowned. ''But you wouldn't do that, kill the child, I mean.''

He nodded. ''But they won't believe that. And I don't want you drawn into this in any way, and knowing Rosa's family, they will try to place blame on everyone except for their beloved Rosa.''

Dolly sneered. ''What a pointless creature, she was. The only redeeming thing she's ever done is give me Niko. Typical woman.''

I rolled my eyes, and Dolly, pointed at me suddenly. ''You are NEVER to become one of those women. You are to remain a girl forever.''

My laugh caught in my throat as I saw Gaara's eyes flash in the shadows. His voice was cold as he spoke. ''And, how exactly do you expect her to do that? Will you turn her into one of your puppets so she never ages?''

My eyes widened, and I gave him a calming smile. ''No. Gaara. That's not what he meant at all. You've never heard Dolly's rant about how most women are inquisitive, and annoying things. You can actually ask Sakura about that. She heard all about it when they fought.

What he meant about my staying a girl forever, though, was that he never wants me to become like most women, and do pointless, and idiotic things. To think things through with my mind, before allowing my emotions to decide for me...Isn't hat right, Dolly?''

He nodded. ''That's right. I'm glad that you've remembered that lesson at least.'' He tilted his head. ''Though I have to admit that it would be interesting to turn you into a living puppet. ''

I smiled for a moment, before Gaara's growl caught my attention, and I shook my head. ''Careful, Dolly. Gaara isn't used to your way of teasing, and doesn't understand your sence of humor.''

Dolly looked over at Gaara, and nodded. ''So I see. Do not worry young Kazekage. I have never had any intention of turning Ria into a puppet. She was the first person that I was able to watch grow from a young child to a young adult, and I found that I quite enjoy it.'' He shrugged. ''And I'm retired.''

I laughed. ''So, what are you, and Niko going to do now? Are you going to stay in the same house?''

He nodded. ''I plan on it. Niko is still young enough that he'll start to forget about Rosa, and Deidara is planning on moving in.'' He rolled his eyes. ''I did not ask that of him, but I think that he misses having children around. Niko will also be able to spend more time with the twins. That's were he's at now. Staying the night at Itachi's.''

I nodded. ''Good. As much as you deny it, I know that you enjoy hanging around Die. And Rosa has kept him run off for a long time.''

Dolly nodded, and frowned. ''I need to get everything prepared for the funeral. There wasn't much time to reach a coroner before now, and I left Rosa's body on her bed. I need to get rid of it before I retrieve Niko. I don't think that he will handle seeing his mother dead, as well as Salem.''

I shook my head. ''No. Probably not. But speaking of Salem, have you you told him about all of this yet?''

Dolly nodded. ''Of course. He's in his room, and I talked to him before I came up here.''

I crossed my arms, and glared at him. ''Why is it that every time something crucial happens, you tell Salem, before you tell me? It's always about someone dying, or about me, too. Ticks me off!''

Dolly chuckled, and patted my head gently. ''I talk to him about YOU, because I value his opinion, and insight. And I tell him about deaths first, because I know what he has been through, and how well he can handle the gory details. It's his reaction to the stories that tell me how much I can tell you, without causing you any nightmare, or trauma.''

I huffed, still irritated. ''Of course, Salem handles hearing about gory stuff better. I mean, he slaughtered his entire family. And the reason I wouldn't handle it well, is because you, and Die shielded me from any major bloodiness.''

Dolly nodded. ''And I still believe that we did the right thing. Now give me a hug, so that I can return home, and figure out how to deal with that stupid woman's body.''

I nodded, and did as he said, hugging him tightly. ''Bye, Dolly. I would tell you to have fun but...''

He sighed, and pulled away. ''I have always hated cleaning up other people's messes.'' He turned towards Gaara, his eyes serious. ''I've told you this once, and I will tell it to you again, just to get the point across: You take good care of my girl.''

Gaara nodded, and watched Dolly wearily as he walked past him, and out of the room. He stared at the closed door for a few minutes before I spoke. ''Gaara?'' He turned towards me, and I could still see the wariness, and bloodlust lurking in his gaze. I hesitated a moment, before holding my arms out to him, relaxing against the headboard.

Gaara walked towards me slowly, and sat on the bed in front of me. I let my arms fall to my sides, and tilted my head. ''Why are you so angry, Gaara?''

He clenched his hands, and shook his head. ''That woman, was an awful person.''

I nodded, encouragingly, and he continued.

''I seem to agree with Sasori, and would have liked to have killed her myself. I haven't killed anyone out of anger in so long, and I was beginning to think that I was slowly losing my lust for their blood. apparently I was wrong. I just need for them to make me angry enough, and I regress back to old self. Wanting to make their blood fall to the ground like rain.

At this particular moment, I am finding it difficult to not go in search of some poor person, and using my sand coffin to squeeze the life from them. I know that they haven't done anything to deserve it, and it's wrong for me to think that way. But I remember how calming, and fulfilling that it is.'' He shook his head, and clutched his head. ''It's not helping that I can still hear Shukaku reminding me of how much I used to enjoy the kill. How much I NEED to kill someone.''

I bit my lip, and moved closer to him. I pulled his hand from his face, and caught sight of the wanting in his eyes. It frightened me a bit.

I swallowed, and squeezed the hand that I held. ''Gaara, do you think that the extracted ALL Shukaku from you?''

He looked at me in surprise, and shrugged. ''I've never really thought about it. But I don't know. I THOUGHT that they did. I don't hear him talking as much as I used too, and I don't really feel him anymore. And I can sleep, without having him take over, so they must have extracted all of him. I think that this is just me.''

I shook my head. ''But what if they DIDN'T? What if they got the most powerful part of him, but left a strong enough part of him, that's he's able to talk, and send images to you?''

Gaara paused, looking thoughtful. ''I don't know. I can hear his voice, but that may just be my memory reminding me of the things he's said. It would be a relief if it WAS him making me think this way, but I'm seriously afraid that it's just me.''

He locked eyes with me, and I saw that he was confused. I tugged on his hand, and he willingly crawled into my arms, resting his head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, and rested my head against his.

''Don't worry about it, hon. I know that you can handle it either way.''

He shrugged, and raised his head to look up at me. ''What did you mean earlier when you said that, Salem slaughtered his family?''

I frowned at him. ''Did I say that?''

He nodded. ''Yeah. When you were talking to Sasori, earlier.''

I thought back, and groaned. I had said that. Dang my habit of speaking before thinking things through.''

I sighed, and nodded. ''I guess I forgot to tell you about Salem's past, huh?''

He nodded, and I sighed. ''When Salem was younger, he wasn't able to tell the difference between dreams and reality.

One day he lost control of his mind, and began to see his family as monsters that were trying to hurt him. He grabbed his fathers anitique katana, and began to slash through the monsters. It wasn't until all the monsters were dead, and he calmed down, that he realized that he had killed his family.

Dolly and I found him sitting in a pool of his families blood.''

Gaara shook his head. ''If I hadn't seen him today, I would have never imagined him being able to kill anyone.''

I nodded. ''It's scary when he looses control like that. I've seen him a few times when we were younger, and he was trying to get at the creatures that were bothering him. When he couldn't hurt them, he began to bash his head against the cave walls. He said that if he caused enough injury to himself, that his mind would focus on the pain, and the images went away.''

Gaara frowned. ''That actually worked?''

I nodded. ''Yeah. Once he had collapsed to the ground, bleeding, and bruised, he would calm down, going back to his normal self. He used to teasse me about it. Saying that if he ever got out of control to just hit him over the head with a frying pan, and he would go back to normal.'' I shook my head, with a frown. ''I never did find that funny.''

Gaara smirked. ''And he still hallucinate like that?''

I nodded. ''Sometimes. Though it's not nearly as bad as when he was younger. Dolly's medicine helps a lot. He hasn't needed to hurt himself in a long time.''

He nodded, and moved us to lie down, pulling me into his chest. ''Are you upset about Rosa?''

I frowned, and shook my head. ''No. I know that I should be, but I can't force myself to feel sorry for her. I don't like that her stupidity hurt the baby, but it's hard for me to be attached to something that I had never even met before.

Though I WAS upset when Dolly told me that she almost hit Niko.'' I gritted my teeth, and Gaara nodded.

''I know. I saw the intent to kill in your eyes. What were you thinking about?''

I snarled. ''How to get rid of the body.''

Gaara's eyes widened in surprise, before a grin broke out across his face.

''You bury it, Love.''

I shook my head. ''They would find that too easily. I would probably use the hottest flames that I could and make sure that nothing was left, but an undistinguishable smudge.''

Gaara's body began to shake, and he pulled me closer. ''Oh, Ria. I love you.''

I looked up at him bewildered. ''I love you too, but I'm not sure why my plan to kill someone would make you say that.''

He smiled, and shook his head. ''I don't know. I liked hearing how protective you are of the people you care about.''

I smiled softly, and shook my head. ''You're weird sometimes, do you know that?''

He smirked, and shrugged. ''As long as you love me, Ria, I don't mind being a little weird.''

I laughed, and pulled his head down so I could kiss him. ''I DO love you. And your weirdness is just one of the reasons that I do. You close yourself off from everyone else, and they hardly get to see that side of you. I'm glad that I get to.

You become emotionless, and cold when you're around other people.''

He nodded. ''I know. I don't like showing my emotions to others.''

I nodded, and snuggled closer. ''I know. And that's fine. As long as you show them to me.''

He nodded, and laid a kiss to my forehead. ''I try hard to not close myself off from you. Though I Do find it difficult sometimes, it's not nearly as hard as it is with other people. Including my siblings.''

I nodded, and relaxed against him, glad that we still had a little time to sleep.

''Why were you across the room when I woke up?''

He shrugged. ''I had to take Butterball outside, and when I came back into the room, I found Sasori waiting to talk to me.''

I nodded, and sighed. ''Alright. Goodnight, Hon.''

He nodded, and cuddled me closer. ''Goodnight, Love. Sleep well.''

I nodded, and wrapped one of my arms around his waist, not wanting him to leave me again, and soon I was sliding back into sleep.


	34. Chapter 34

The next time I awoke, it was to Gaara laying kisses to my face, and neck.

"Time to wake up, Love.''

I grumbled softly and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer.

"Uh uh. I don't wanna."

He nuzzled into my neck.

"I suppose that you could stay here."

I shook my head.

"Hm. Not unless you're going to stay here with me."

He smirked against my skin. "Then you better get up, because I can't stay."

I sighed and pushed him so I could sit up.

He smirked at me and touched my hair. "Your hair needs to be brushed again. Though that may not help with the fact that at the moment it is defying gravity."

I reached up and tried to smooth down the messy mass, but soon gave up with a sigh.

''Oh, well. It will look more like a rats nest by the time we reach Suna, anyways. I'll just throw it up into a ponytail.''

He frowned. ''Would you like me to brush it before we go?''

I smiled and shook my head. "No, Hon. It would be a waste of time and would probably just make me want to go back to sleep."

I grinned. "But if you still want to when we get to Suna, then I'll let you."

I sighed and stood from the warm bed instantly shivering.

''I blame you for this. Making me get up before the sun has time to heat my room.''

I shot him a glare over my shoulder, before moving to grab a pair of traveling clothes and going to the bathroom to change my voice drifting back to him as I yelled.

"You just HAD to go back to be Kazekage. So of course, we HAD to get up early and deal with the cold morning air." I sent him a smile before closing the door, not waiting for his reply.

I got ready quickly, not wanting to keep him waiting and knowing that we would still have a long walk to Suna.

I finished putting my hair up, and walked into the bedroom to find Gaara changed, wearing his gourd. I realized that I hadn't seen him wear it while he was here. I suppose that he felt out of place in a non ninja village while wearing it.

I smiled at him when he looked at me and saw the teasing spark that entered his eyes.

A second later I felt sand wrapping around me, and tossing me to the bed. I yelped and looked up to find Gaara hovering over me, a smirk on his face.

I tilted my head. "You know if you wanted me to lay back down, all you had to do was say so.''

He shrugged. "It was more fun to throw you though."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Well, since I'm back in bed, what do you plan on doing to me?"

He smirked and leaned closer, his lips brushing against mine.

"Well, I thought that I might...tickle you!"

I stared at him stupidly for a moment, my mind having drifted into a daze, but began struggling the instant I understood his words. He grinned as I tried to wriggle out of his arms and began to poke at my sides.

I squealed and thrashed around, trying to get away from his hands.

He grabbed my wrists in one of his hands, pinning them to the bed while his other hand continued to dig into my ribs. I had tears streaming down my face, and through their haze I saw Gaara grinning down at me.

He leaned down, and licked my ear, causing me to laugh harder. I tried to speak but kept being interrupted by stray giggles.

"G..Gaara! St..Stop!''

He shook his head, and I found that I couldn't really catch my breath anymore and I was still trying to get away from him.

There was a hesitant knock on the door and Gaara stopped suddenly to glare at the offending noise. I smiled, thinking that the person on the other side could probably feel the heat of his gaze.

I was still giggling when Gaara swung himself off of me and went to wrench the door open, revealing a nervous Kankuro. Gaara growled at him and I had to put my recently released fist to my mouth to keep from laughing.

Kankuro looked nervously from Gaara, to me and back again. I saw him swallow hard before he began to speak.

''Sorry, Gaara. But you said that you wanted to leave at 7:30, and it's already 7:45 already. Unless you wanted to stay later...''

I finally took pity on the rambling boy and moved to stand beside Gaara.

"Don't worry about it Kankuro. You just saved me from a merciless round of tickling, and Gaara would thank you for reminding him about the time if he wasn't pouting.''

Kankuro's eyes widened and Gaara sent me a glare before moving to retrieve our bags, handing mine to me.

I smiled at him before turning back to his brother.

"So what have you done with Misa?''

He shrugged. She's downstairs saying goodbye to Mona."

My eyes widened. "Is Salem down there?"

He nodded and I didn't wait for any more of a reply before pushing past him and running down the stairs. I was on the last step when I heard the enraged scream, and the rush of water.

I burst into the living room to find a soaked Mona, and Salem holding a water hose looking smug. Mona turned towards me, her eyes raging and her clothes dripping onto my wood floors. She pointed a trembling finger at Salem.

"That MORON sprayed me! I came to say goodbye to you and Misa, but I can't STAND to be in the same room for another minute. I'll see you when you get back.''

She sent a final glare towards Salem before walking out the front door, her clothes sopping.

I turned my attention back to Salem, finding him smiling and couldn't stop my own smirk from breaking out over my face.

"I thought that you were torturing her when I heard her yell."

He shook his head. "Nope. Just sprayed her with the water hose."

I looked towards Misa and Toru, both sitting on the couch, their faces showing the same expression of surprise, their eyes wide. I laughed at them and motioned towards Toru when she looked at me.''

"Can I talk to you?''

She nodded, and followed me to the other side of the room, looking nervously towards Salem. He looked between the two of us, and I stuck my tongue out at him. He returned the gesture and I turned back to Toru.

"Okay. First thing: Try to keep Salem away from Mona. Obviously they can't be trusted around the other. Second: I figure that you will be over here a lot, and I would prefer to have a house to come home too, so will you make sure that Salem doesn't burn it down?''

She nodded and I smiled. "And try not to let Salem push you around. You don't have to do everything he says you know?''

She nodded, and laughed. "I'll try, Ria. Don't worry. I'll take good care of him, and the house."

I nodded, still smiling. "Thanks, Toru. He deserves it."

She nodded and I moved towards Salem, Toru making her way back to the couch.

Salem frowned at me as I stopped beside him. "What was that about?"

I shrugged. "Just giving her some advice about how to deal with you.''

He chuckled. "Anything that I should know about?"

I shook my head. ''Nope. Now are you going to give me a hug goodbye, or do I go to Suna without one?''

He grinned and wrapped me in a tight bear hug, lifting me off the floor and knocking the breath out of me.

I gasped, and hit his shoulder. "Put me down you big brute, I can't breathe." He laughed and lowered me back to the ground just as Gaara and Kankuro came into the room.

Salem grabbed my attention by a tug on my hair. "You better come back, Little Sister. As SOON as Aubry's is rebuilt. Otherwise, I'm going to come get you and drag you back by that rats nest you call hair.''

I laughed and shook my head. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be sure to remember that."

He nodded, and pushed me to where I had dropped my bag, where Gaara was waiting patiently.

Kankuro was holding Butterball in one arm, the other wrapped around Misa.

I smiled at Gaara, and grabbed my bag, letting him lead me from my house and out into the sunshine to make another trek to Suna.


	35. Chapter 35

Misa chattered endlessly on our walk and I let my mind wander, only listening to half of what she was saying. We were already halfway to Suna and I was already sick of walking through the blowing sand.

We had paused in our walking so Misa and I could shake some of the sand out off our shoes, when something that Misa said caused me to stiffen.

"This trip is so much more fun then when we were walking home the last time. Don't you think, Ria?''

I nodded hurriedly, hoping that she would catch my warning looks and drop the subject. She didn't of course and giggled.

"I mean, we don't have that cranky messenger with us and I'm not sick.''

She nodded in satisfaction and stopped speaking.

I breathed a sigh of relief that suddenly caught in my throat as Kankuro spoke.

"Why were you sick?''

Misa smiled, and I knew that she was going to be her normal self and explain every detail that had happened on the way home.

I sighed and gritted my teeth, listening to her story.

"Well, I cried a lot before we left and hadn't been drinking enough water while we were in Suna, so I got dehydrated.

And then we weren't allowed to stop, so the desert heat made the dehydration worse, especially since I wasn't drinking anything while we walked.''

Gaara interrupted, his eyes narrowed. "Why weren't you allowed to stop?''

She frowned, thinking hard, not realizing the warning signs that he was giving off.

"The man said that he wanted to get back to Suna quickly, because he was a ninja, not a babysitter.''

Gaara's arm that had wrapped around me tightened dangerously, pulled me closer to his side.

"So, even when he found out that you were sick, he didn't let you take a break?''

Misa shook head, still smiling.

"Oh, no. He didn't know that I was sick. Not at first at least. Ria confronted him and forced him to stop, letting us rest.''

She frowned. "But then he grumbled something that made Salem angry for some reason, and I thought that he was going to strangle him.''

Misa turned her attention towards me. "What DID he say to you, Ria? I know that you were mad, and were going to say something back to him, but then Salem was there and holding the man off the ground by his neck.''

I nodded and bit my lip nervously.

Gaara and Misa were both staring at me intently and I began to wring my hands.

"It...wasn't anything important. You know, Salem, and I took care of it and I've left it in the past.''

Misa caught on to my hesitant answer and quickly switched the subject, shooting me an apologetic look. Kankuro followed her lead and joined into her conversation, but Gaara wasn't as easily distracted.

He pulled me closer and lowered his voice so that only I could hear him.

"Ria, my heart, I think that we need to have a talk when we reach my house.''

I stared at him pleadingly. "Do we have to? It wont do any good and will only make you angry. And I prefer it when you are happy when I am around.''

He smiled slightly. "I am always happy when I'm with you. But Ria, I AM the Kazekage and I need to make sure of the well being of my people.''

I nodded, and grinned. "Alright. Well, your Messenger was upset that I made him stop, and then frightened when Salem tried to strangle him, but then got over it and was okay when he left. Mostly because he was glad to get away from us.''

He nodded, a frown on his face. "Fine. But that doesn't tell me how YOUR well being was.''

I shrugged. "I'm NOT from Suna though, Gaara. You aren't MY Kazekage. You've got more important things to worry about then a small fight between myself and your messenger.''

His shoulders slumped suddenly and his eyes were sad as he looked at me.

"You don't want me to know about your problems, or help you with them?''

I sighed and squeezed closer to his side. "It's not that, honey. Of COURSE I would like to tell you about my problems but concerning this, I'm afraid that you won't know how to separate your feelings of loving me from your duty of being Kazekage. That man didn't do anything that required punishment.

He was stating a personal opinion and had it been any one else, you wouldn't care what he said. Especially since Salem and I handled it. The man apologized, and I see no reason on getting the KAZEKAGE involved.''

He stared at me for a moment before nodding. "So if I promise not to see this as a matter for the Kazekage, will you tell me what happened, as your boyfriend?''

I bit my lip. "I don't know. I don't think it's possible for you to separate the two.''

He bit his lip. "Can we try at least? I don't like it when you have to keep things from me.''

I sighed, wanting to tell him that we shouldn't chance it, but couldn't get past how pleading his eyes had become. I was having trouble on not stopping in our walking and kissing him until he forgot what we were talking about.

I shook my head. He was cheating and he didn't even realize it.

I knew suddenly that if he ever looked at me in the way that he was looking at me now, it would be almost impossible for me to ever tell him no.

His face became confused and he squeezed my hip.

"Is something wrong, Love?''

I shook my head, trying to shake away my hazy thoughts and smiled.

"No. I'm fine. I'll tell you about what happened if you really want me too. But we need to talk about it before we reach Suna. I don't want you to be close to him at all in case you can't calm yourself down.''

He nodded and looked down to where he was holding Butterball as the panda began to squirm.

"You better put him down. I think he has to go to the bathroom.''

Gaara made a disgusted noise and almost threw the poor panda to the ground. He pointed at the panda and snarled.

"You are NOT going to pee on me again.''

I giggled, and turned to look at Kankuro and Misa. Misa looked tired, but I saw that she was sipping from her water bottle.

"Maybe we should all take a break. We should be seeing the gates soon anyways.''

Misa sighed in relief and I gave her a pointed look. "Are you drinking lots of water?''

She nodded. "As much as possible without having to go pee every thirty seconds.''

I nodded and pulled on Gaara's hand as Misa plopped down on the sand, Kankuro sitting next to her.

"C'mon, Gaara. I better tell you about what happened. We won't have a chance later.''

He nodded and let me lead him away from the others, moving out of earshot.

"I had to threaten the man to get him to stop when Misa was sick. He wasn't happy about stopping and began ranting to himself, without really thinking about his words. He did apologize to me later, so I let it go, though he DID say that he understood if I went to you to complain.''

I took a deep breath and shook my head. "He said that even if I was your lady, I still had no right to tell him what to do. And that you must be screwing around with me...''

I trailed off as I saw the confused look on his face.

"What does 'screwing around' mean?''

I sighed and shook my head. The innocence of this boy.

"It's another word for having sex.''

His eyes widened and he nodded slowly. "I've heard that expression a few times.''

I nodded and continued. "He said that if you loved me that you wouldn't send me away, and that you must just be using me, and I wasn't even that pretty, and I was a whore.''

I shrugged and let my voice trail off.

I looked at Gaara and knew that I was right about his being angry. His eyes were livid and he was visible seething. I touched his arm gently.

"Calm down, Gaara. He was just angry and didn't mean any of it. I told you that he apologized later for what he said.''

He took a deep breath, trying to swallow his anger. "But he called you a...a whore.''

I nodded patiently. "But he APOLOGIZED.''

He shook his head, and I noticed that sand had begun to swish around us as his hands clenched.

"You were right about me being angry. I'm having trouble with not transporting myself to Suna and burying him.''

I laughed unsteadily, nodding. Looking at the swishing sand.

"So I've noticed. But you can't do that, remember? You are the Kazekage and you killing someone that insulted your girlfriend, and then apologized of his own free will, would be looked down upon.''

He groaned and covered his face with one of his hands, while his free arm wrapped around me, pulling me closer, growling softly.

He was having trouble controlling himself and I figured that it would be better if I helped take his mind off of it.

I sighed softly and tangled my hands in his hair, capturing his lips with mine. He stiffened for a moment, before sighing into my mouth and wrapping both arms around me, pulling me closer.

His lips moved against mine harshly and I groaned as he deepened the kiss. I forced my eyes to stay open until the sand stopped moving. As soon as it came to a rest, I let my eyes close and allowed myself to kiss him for another minute before pulling away.

He growled and chased my lips, barely brushing them.

I giggled breathlessly, and he moved back a bit to watch me gasp in air. His eyes intense.

The second that he thought I had enough breath he slammed his lips back to mine and moved one of his hands to pull out my ponytail, tangling his hand in the released mass. He tilted my head, deepening the kiss further and I grimaced at the slight pulling of my hair, but let him continue.

After a while of this, I reluctantly pushed him away.

He glared at me, his eyes holding a strange gold tint to them and pulled me impossibly closer.

"Stop pulling away from me. I want to finish kissing you.''

I giggled and slipped one of my hands from his hair to cup his cheek. "You can't finish kissing me HERE. We're in the middle of the desert, with your brother and his girlfriend within eye shot.''

He growled again and I smiled. "But I'll tell you what: As soon as we get to your house, and into your room, I'll let you kiss me as much as you want, without stopping you for anything other then letting me breathe. Deal?'' He smirked. "Promise?''

I nodded, and he tightened his arms briefly. "Deal, then.''

He released me and stood up, pulling me with him and leading me towards where Kankuro, and Misa were still caught up in each other.


	36. Chapter 36

A short time of walking later, we reached the Suna gates.

I took Butterball from Gaara and let him talk to the guards, stepping away from them slightly.

Gaara's expression was cold and I watched as his eyes lost the gleam they normally held when he was with me. It was eerie to watch him transform form the relaxed Gaara that I knew, to the Kazekage of the sand village.

I turned to look at Kankuro and found that he looked more serious, but otherwise held the same expression.

I turned back to looking at Gaara.

I noticed that the guards not only treated Gaara with respect, but with a hint of fear. It bubbled it's way to the surface in both their voices and their eyes.

Soon Gaara turned back to us and motioned that we should follow him through the gates.

As soon as we stepped through, the gates slammed shut. I jumped in alarm, and glanced at Misa, who looked back at me with wide eyes. What had the guards so spooked that they were in such a hurry to lock everyone inside?

I shrugged and looked to my side, finding Gaara walking next to me.

I smiled at him and moved closer. He smiled halfheartedly and reached out to take my hand. I could tell that he wanted to tell me something but he didn't get the chance to speak before Kankuro's voice echoed from behind us.

"Hey, Gaara. I'm going to take Misa on a tour of Suna. Do you and Ria want to go with?''

Gaara shot me a look and I shook my head.

He smirked. "No. I think that we'll just go home.''

Kankuro nodded and smiled knowingly. "Alright. Well you two don't have TOO much fun.''

My mouth dropped open and I had to force myself to not make a rude retort.

I glanced at Gaara and snickered as I saw the confused look on his face. I guess Kankuro's meaning of 'fun' had flown right over his head.

"Kankuro, you always say that there's no such thing as too much fun. Are you changing your opinion?''

I laughed and Kankuro sighed in exasperation before turning a grin at me.

"Ask your girlfriend what I mean when I say 'fun.'''

I gasped and he laughed. "You OWE me, Ria. I NEVER thought that I would have to have the 'birds and the bees' talk with Gaara, until you came along.''

His grin widened. "Though I did have a good time explaining things, and I made sure to go into some GRAPHIC details.''

Gaara made a chocking noise and I looked at him to find his face the same shade as his hair. He rubbed his eyes with a hand and I turned my attention to Misa as she spoke.

"Who came up with calling 'the talk' the 'birds and the bees'? It has nothing to do with either of those things throughout the ENTIRE talk.''

I nodded. "I know. When you're younger and someone walks in and says 'Hey, I think it's time that you learn about the birds, and the bees,' you think that it's going to be about something completely different then what it really is.''

She nodded, looking disgusted. "I know. Ticks me off.''

I laughed and Kankuro chuckled, wrapping his arm around Misa's waist. "As entertaining as this conversation is, this isn't how I wanted to spend my first night back home. So...Misa, and I will see you two later.''

I nodded and Misa had time to wave, before Kankuro dragged her away from us.

I smiled and shook my head, turning my attention back to a still embarrassed Gaara.

"I can't believe they have a NAME for that kind of talk.''

I nodded and shifted Butterball, trying to get a better hold on him. "Yeah. But I think they called it that so they wouldn't scare off the person that they wanted to talk too.''

Gaara nodded and took Butterball from me, beginning to walk again.

"So what did Kankuro mean by 'fun'?''

I felt my face heat slightly and shrugged. "I'll tell you when we get to your house.''

Gaara stopped suddenly, and turned to glare at me. I blinked in surprise, and tilted my head slightly.

"Gaara, honey. Why are you glaring at me?''

He began to walk again and turned his glare forwards to watch where he was going.

"I don't want to TALK when we get home. You promised that I could kiss you. As much as I wanted.''

I chuckled, relieved that that was all that was bothering him.

I shrugged. "You're right. Then either I tell you now, or you can wait until later. You choose.''

He thought for a minute, before sighing. "Since Kankuro said it, I'm sure that it will be embarrassing, but I think that I would like to know now.''

I nodded and shrugged. "What your brother meant by fun, was that we shouldn't enjoy ourselves too much.'' Gaara frowned. "But it's always enjoyable when I'm with you.''

I sighed, and slapped a palm to my forehead. How was I supposed to explain this?

"Okay. Um... The way that your brother meant it, was that we shouldn't go beyond make out sessions and have sex.''

Gaara froze and looked around quickly, making sure no one heard us and I smiled as his cheeks heated again.

"Oh. I understand now.''

I laughed and nodded, noticing the multiple eyes that were watching us as we entered the main square. I looked around before closer to Gaara. Every person in the square had their eyes fixed on us. I was beginning to feel anxious, forcing myself to walk calmly and not bolt.

I had never really liked being the center of attention. And I REALLY didn't like crowds. Now I had both.

I glanced at Gaara and saw the cold mask back in place, but his eyes gained a little of their sparkle as he turned to look at me. I smiled shakily and moved closer so I could whisper.

"Did you HAVE to take us through the most crowded street in the village?''

He looked around us and most of the people lowered their gaze immediately, but a few of the braver ones nodded their heads in acknowledgment, continuing to stare.

He looked back at me and I wrapped my arms around my chest, hugging myself tightly as I felt eyes boring into my back.

"They're not going to hurt you, Ria. They're just curious.''

I nodded. "I know. But do they have to keep STARRING?''

Gaara studied me intently for a few minutes before comprehension lit his eyes.

"You don't like having peoples attention on you.''

I shook my head. "Or being in a crowd of strangers.''

He frowned. "But you go to the market at your home, and you work at Aubry's. There's always a crowd there.'' I nodded and shrugged. "I don't got to the market when it's crowded. The time I went with you was the busiest time I've ever gone. And as far as Aubry's goes: I only have a small section that I take care of and I know most of those people. The ones I don't aren't in a big enough quantity to bother me.''

Gaara nodded. "But you went to the festival with me and it was EXTREMELY crowded. And I didn't notice you having a problem then?''

I sighed. "We weren't with the crowd much. You had me alone with you somewhere normally. The rest of the time I was clinging to you so tightly that my knuckles turned white. And nobody was STARING at me.''

I hissed the last sentence and he turned surprised eyes towards me, nodding his head slowly.

"You DID cling to me. I didn't realize it at the time because I thought that you were just trying to stay out of the crowds way, but you were trying to HIDE from them.''

I nodded. "Trying to turn myself invisible so they wouldn't notice I was there. And trying not to hyperventilate because of how many people there was.''

Gaara looked at me, an angry light entering his eyes. Before he could say what he was thinking, however, we were interrupted by a shrill squeal and a teenage girl running towards us.

"Kazekage-sensei! How was your trip? Did you have an uneventful journey?''

She slid to a stop a few inches in front of Gaara. She looked ready to tackle him and her eyes were shinning at seeing him. I looked her over and found the sand headband almost instantly. Her brown hair was flying madly around her face as the wind picked up, and I decided that she was actually quite pretty.

I turned my attention back to Gaara, who didn't seem to enjoy being stopped, or interrupted. He answered her non the less. "The trip was void of attack and yes it was sufficient. Is there a reason why you are back from your mission this early? It should have taken you at least two weeks.''

I shook my head as the girl blushed. So harsh Gaara. So harsh.

"Oh, um...well you see Kazekage-sensei, the man that petitioned for help said that we weren't old enough for this particular mission.''

Gaara frowned and glared at her, looking every inch the cool and distant leader.

"Did you insist that you were all ninja's and therefore qualified to take any mission?''

The girl nodded quickly. "Multiple times. But he said that children weren't allowed in his...establishment. He said to return to Suna and ask you for a team of ADULT ninja's.''

Gaara sighed and nodded. "Did he tell you what his 'establishment' was? He refused to give me any specific information besides he was willing and able to pay whatever amount we asked.''

The girl nodded and began to wring her hands together. Her blush darkening.

"I gave all the information that I had in my written report. Would it not be simpler to read what I wrote instead of asking me all these questions?''

Gaara's glare increased and I bit my lip. She was trying to get out of explaining why the man had sent her home. She was embarrassed about something. I had to admit that I was curious about what it was.

"That would be fine, if I was going to my office tonight. But I am tired and I have guests that need my attention. It would be rude to leave them alone and go into work on their first night in Suna.''

I rolled my eyes. Whatever. He just wanted MY attention. And this wasn't my first night in Suna. Just the first night in his house.

She looked startled and glanced behind Gaara to where I had situated myself.

The thrill in her eyes dimmed and was replaced by surprise, and a little bit of hurt.

Gaara only noticed where she was staring and stepped beside me. The girl bit her lip and swung her eyes back to Gaara as he spoke.

"Matsuri, this is Ria. She is my guest here for an interminable amount of time.''

I smiled when her gaze returned to me, her eyes looking over me appraising.

"Hello, Matsuri. It's nice to meet you.''

She nodded but didn't reply, the surprise in her eyes disappearing and being replaced by something unpleasant.

"Now. What was this place, since I'm not going into work tonight?''

She swallowed and looked at the ground with a frown. ''Actually, Kazekage-sensei. Your secretary told me that the council wanted to see you as soon as you returned. You will need to go to your office anyways. I will accompany you if you like.''

Gaara growled slightly, standing to his full height. "They want to see me TONIGHT?''

Matsuri nodded quickly. "They said as SOON as you returned.''

Gaara snarled and turned towards me. "Apparently I need to make a stop before we go to my house.''

I nodded and caught the panic in Matsuri's eyes out of my peripheral vision.

"Won't the lady be staying at the hotel? If so, then I can direct her there before accompanying you to the tower.''

I cringed inwardly, knowing that whatever Gaara said would seriously hurt this girls feelings.

Gaara turned a cold glare at her and she flinched back like she had been slapped.

"Ria and her friend will be staying at the Kazekage mansion. You will NOT be accompanying anyone anywhere tonight. You need to go home.

I will read your report since you are adamant on not telling me the information directly, and THEN I will go home, and rest myself. I will expect you to come to the Tower tomorrow, in case I have any questions.

Now goodnight Matsuri. I wish you a nice rest.''

He brushed past her, his head held high and I followed him, noticing the girls eyes fill with tears.

Amazingly Gaara was able to make someone cry, even when holding an adorable panda bear.

I sighed as we walked towards the Kazekage Tower. It never occurred to me that Gaara had fangirls. Or that one of them was head over heels for him. Though it didn't surprise me that he hadn't mentioned them. He wouldn't have known why they were drooling over him. If he even noticed it at all for that matter.

I was too deep in my thoughts to notice that Gaara had stopped and turned towards me, until I ran into his chest, almost falling backwards. His hands instantly reached out to wrap around my forearms tightly.

I looked up to thank him, but the words stuck in my throat as my gaze contacted with his angry glare.

He tightened his hands and I gasped at the sudden pressure. He smirked harshly.

"Now. What I was going to say before I was interrupted: I need you to tell me when your frightened, Ria. I can't read your mind, or do anything to help you if you don't tell me. I don't want to ever see you upset like you were during the fireworks ever again. I hated that. Especially when I didn't know what was wrong or what I could do to help it.''

I sighed, and nodded. "It didn't occur to me to tell you. I've always avoided crowds for the most part, and got through them alone when I couldn't. I'm not used to telling people what I'm fraid of, Gaara. I was raised to NEVER do that.

I've suffered through crowds all my life. I just pick a corner, or a spot, and hide there until the mass has walked bye. Most people in a group stay to the middle of the walkways, avoiding walls or corners.

And with the staring, I'm pretty good with being almost invisible when I want to be. People don't notice me for the most part. I'm pretty unexceptional.

I just thought that I would handle this situation the same way that I have for most of my life. But I didn't take into account that you were practically a celebrity here and drew everyone's attention. I'm sorry.''

He sighed and his eyes softened, his hands now rubbing my arms.

"You shouldn't have to apologize to me. You told me before that you weren't used to sharing your fears, and I'm more angry at myself that I didn't pay enough attention to you to realize what you were doing.

But I want you to trust me enough to be able to come to me with your problems and fears.''

I smiled and raised a hand to cup his face.

"You shouldn't be upset with yourself. I'm pretty good at hiding any weakness I'm feeling. Years of living with rogue ninjas, remember? And I DO trust you. I'll try to tell you the next time that I'm frightened. Alright?''

He nodded and moved to pick up Butterball up from where he had placed him before he stopped our walking.

I took the panda from him. "Go to your meeting, Hon. I'll be at that park over there. Come back and get me when your finished.''

He paused for a moment before nodding. "Alright. I wont be long.''

I smiled, and nodded. "I know. I still have a promise to fulfill.''

His eyes lit up and he nodded. "I had ALMOST forgotten about that. I'll be sure to hurry the windbags up.''

I nodded. "Good. That means that I wont have to worry on how to get to your house on my own.''

His eyes filled with panic suddenly. "Don't leave the park without me.

I smiled. "Don't worry Gaara. I was just teasing. I'll be there when you get back.''

He nodded hesitantly. "You promise?"

I nodded and looked around quickly before lifting myself onto my tiptoes and pressing my lips to his. He sighed and wrapped his arms around me, practically crushing poor Butterball.

I laughed as the panda began to wriggle and pulled back.

"Go to your meeting. I'll be waiting for you.''

He nodded and stepped back slightly, before sand surrounded him and he disappeared. I sighed and after a moment of staring at his abandoned spot made my way to one of the parks swings.


	37. Chapter 37

I sat on one of the swings that the park sported and watched a group of children play with Butterball. Though for the most part he preferred to lay down and allow the children to jump over him and run around him in crazy patterns.

Either way they enjoyed themselves and I couldn't help my smile. I hadn't thought that I would miss Niko or the twins this soon but it seemed like I was wrong. I missed them a lot.

I heard a raised voice and looked to the edge of the park where a woman stood, holding her arm out for a small boy that was running towards her. She lifted the boy into her arms and after letting him wave at his friends turned, and made their way home.

A few minutes later, a few of the older children grabbed their younger siblings hands and began pulling them towards their houses. I suppose that it was getting close to their dinner time.

Soon, all that was left was a brown haired boy of about 7 and a blond girl of 3. It was this same boy that had asked me if he, and the other children could play with Butterball. He was running around Butterball, his sister following on stubby little legs.

Though, she was having trouble on not falling in the sand. Her brother was sure to slow his pace, so that she could catch up to him.

I laughed softly at their antics and suddenly felt a presence behind me.

I was about to turn when a pair of hands wrapped around the swing chains, stopping my slight swinging.

"How did your meeting go?''

He groaned and released the chains, wrapping his arms over my shoulders and pulling me back to lean against his chest.

"Windbags. They didn't have anything to say that couldn't have waited till tomorrow. They even seemed upset to be called away from their homes. It makes me wonder if my secretary was wrongly informed and they didn't really want to see me until our meeting tomorrow morning.''

I shrugged, thinking that with the way Matsuri had reacted to me, she had probably told him of the meeting, hoping to get him away from me. I had seen people in love do worse.

He sighed. "Though I do understand now why Matsuri and her team was sent home.''

I nodded. "Can you tell me why?''

I felt him shrug. "The man that requested help was the owner of a brothel. Apparently he's been receiving threats against some of the girls. He wanted the ninja's to escort the girls around town until they figured out who was behind the threats.''

I frowned. "And you let your ninja's go to those kind of places for missions.''

I turned to look at him and found his expression detached. "Though I would like NOT to associate with that type of place, they are offering an ABUNDANT amount of money for helping them.''

I nodded and turned back around, laying my head back to rest on his shoulder.

"How is it you know what that type of place is anyways? Kankuro.''

Gaara snorted. "No. Before I became Kazekage, Temari, Kankuro, and I were still sent out on missions like a normal ninja team. One of these missions was in the mountain village. They aren't as...children friendly as Suna and the leaf village. They do have a separate district, but it is filled with brothels and prostitutes. They were everywhere. On the street, in the windows, calling down.

They were yelling at Baki, who was our team leader at that point. I finally asked what they wanted. He replied, money for sex. I left it at that, though it wasn't until the 'birds and the bees' talk that I realized what that actually was.

Now that I know what that is, I'm even more hesitant in allowing my younger ninja's to go there. But I still have to send some of the older ones, like Temari and Kankuro.''

I nodded and closed my eyes, absorbing his body heat as the sun set and the desert became cooler. Though Suna was scorching to most people in the day time. It was uncomfortably cool to all at night.

A moment later I felt Gaara stiffen and a loud cry echoed across the park.

I opened my eyes to see the young boy running towards me, a grim look on his face. He skidded to a stop in front of me and pointed frantically to his sister.

"Can you help us? My sister fell and scratched her knee...It's bleeding a lot.''

I nodded and unwrapped Gaara's arms from around me before following the boy to where his sister was crying pitifully, clutching at her knee.

I knelt down beside her and touched her arm. She looked up at me with watery eyes, and sniffled.

"I 'urt.''

I nodded and dug through my bag that I had dropped beside me, finding band-aids and an antiseptic spray.

"Can I see?''

She nodded and moved her hands, revealing a slightly skinned knee with slowly seeping blood. It wasn't bad at all and I was almost sure that it didn't even really hurt anymore.

I smiled and reached towards the antiseptic. "I'm gonna spray this on your knee, okay? It'll only sting for a minute. Can you be brave for me?''

She paused and then bit her lip, nodding slightly.

I kept my smile in place and began a stream of useless chatter as I sprayed her knee, and placed multiple bandages over the cuts.

I looked up at her when I was finished and patted her foot.

"All done. How do you feel?''

She wiped her nose onto her sleeve and I grimaced at the action.

"My knee still hurts. My mommy normally kisses my boo boo's.''

I nodded. "Oh, I see. Well, I think I was probably taught a different technique then your Mommy, but let's see if it still doesn't so the trick. I'll need your help, okay?''

She nodded and I smiled. "Okay. Just do what I do. First we wrinkle our nose.''

She scrunched her nose up tight, making her eyes squint.

"Then we pat our head.''

She hit the top of her head gently. "And we say triscadecaphobia.''

She mumbled something that sounded like triklobia and I laughed before pressing a light kiss to the bandages that covered her knee.

"Now how do you feel?''

She hesitated a moment before giggling delightedly. "I no 'urt no 'ore.''

I nodded sagely, looking up to finda woman standing not far away, an amused expression on her face. She walked closer and the litter girl grinned.

"Mommy! I falled, and 'urt my knee.''

She pointed at me. "But, 'ady 'elped me 'eel better.''

The woman nodded and bent down to hug the girl. "You better thank her then. She knows the magic of making little ones boo boo's better.''

The little girl nodded and smiled at me. "ank you, 'ady.''

I smiled and nodded. "You are very welcome. Just be more careful when you're running, okay?''

She nodded and the woman stood up, still holding the girl.

Gaara helped me to my feet and the woman's smile became secretive before she lowered her head slightly. "You brought back a lovely young woman Lord Kazekage.''

She then turned to me. "Thank you for helping my children and letting them play with the panda bear.''

I shrugged. "You're welcome. But it wasn't that big of a deal. Butterball needed the exercise.''

She smiled and bowed slightly to Gaara before stepping back. "All the same, thank you. I wish you both a goodnight.''

I nodded and Gaara inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment, watching her walk away, the little boy at her side chatting about his day.

I laughed and Gaara picked up Butterball before returning to my side.

"You are very good with children.''

I laughed and picked up my bag. "I should be. I've been babysitting for at least five years.''

He nodded and began walking in the direction of his house.

"That woman is the daughter of one of the council members. All of them will know about you, and how you react to children, by tomorrow.''

I frowned. "Is she that much of a gossip?''

Gaara shrugged. "She will only have to tell her family what you did, and they will spread the gossip.''

My frown deepened for a moment before I shrugged nonchalantly.

"Does it matter though? The entire village saw us tonight. I'm sure they would have found out about me sooner or later.''

Gaara shook his head. "This isn't a bad thing. Though I know that I will have a long discussion about you tomorrow. I'm glad to get it out of the way early.''

I nodded and shivered, moving closer to him. "How close are we to your home?''

He frowned and moved Butterball under one of his arms, so he could wrap the other around me, sharing body heat.

"Close. Another block or so.''

He sighed. "I'm ready to be home.''

I laughed and nodded, thinking of my promise. ''Yeah, I'm sure that you are.''

He smirked at me and tightened his arm briefly. "Not just because of your promise, Love. I'm ready to have you settled in my home and know that you're actually with me and I'm not just imagining you there.''

I smiled and nodded. "Understandable. So what room do you want me to stay in while I'm here?''

His head swiveled to look at me, a frown on his face. "Do you not want to stay in my room with me?''

He sounded so depressed that I had to roll my eyes. "Of course I'm planning on staying with you, Gaara. But I need a place to keep my clothes and to stay when you're at work.''

He sighed deeply and nodded. "But you ARE going to stay in my room with me?''

I nodded. "As much as you want me too.''

He nodded and squeezed my hip lightly. "Good.''

I shivered suddenly and pressed as close to his side as I could without impairing his movement. At least I'll be warm while I sleep.

I smiled and sighed in relief as the large house came into view. As we stepped onto the porch the door swung open and Temari pulled me into a tight hug.

When she released me, I saw her frown at Gaara who was glaring at her for pulling me away from him.

"Shame on you Gaara! Keeping Ria out so long after that long trip. Kankuro and Misa have been back for at least an hour.''

Gaara rolled his eyes and stepped into the house, pulling me from Temari's grip and replacing her arms with Butterball. Who she instantly cooed over.

"I had a meeting before I could come home.''

Temari raised her eyes from the panda to her brother. "You could have brought her here before you went to your meeting. She would have been more comfortable and able to get settled while you were gone.''

She ignored Gaara's darkening glare, and turned towards me.

"Are you hungry Ria?''

I chocked back a grimace, remembering her awful cooking skills and instead smiled. "A little bit. But I'm sure you've had more of a trying day then I have and I'll gladly make us something, if you show me where the food is.''

Temari's eyes widened a bit before she turned to Gaara. "I LIKE her. You are not allowed to break up with her...ever.''

I giggled and Gaara grumbled lightly. Butterball also made a strange noise, catching Temari's attention and she cooed down at the panda while walking to the kitchen.

Gaara sighed and grabbed my hand. "Come along Love. Temari will be busy with the fluffball.''

I laughed and let him lead me to the kitchen, finding that he was right. Temari was feeding Butterball some sort of green thing that I could smell from across the room.

I wrinkled my nose as the panda ate the green concoction and turned to find Gaara rummaging through the fridge and pulling out the stuff for sandwiches.

Before I could move to ask if he wanted my help, he had already made two sandwiches and was taking a bite out of one, while holding the other out to me.

I took it gladly, finding that I was hungrier then I had originally thought. I took a hesitant bite finding that it was good before scarfing the rest of the sandwich. I guess Gaara WOULD have had to learn to cook some things or have to eat Temari's cooking.

I finished the last bite of sandwich, managing to give myself the hiccups.

I was glad that Gaara was concentrating on eating his second sandwich, because I was sure that he would have been teasing me about them.

Temari began speaking again and I saw Gaara frown before he turned his attention to his sister.

"You need to find a room for Ria. She can't stay in your room all of the time. It's depressing in there.''

I giggled softly and received a glare from Gaara, causing me to bring a hand up to hide my smile.

He sighed softly and rubbed his eyes.

"Fine. I'll do that now. Are you going to keep Butterball?''

Temari nodded and lifted the panda into the air.

"Of course I am. He's so adorable. And since you and Kankuro haven't given me any HUMAN nephews to cuddle, he'll have to due.''

My laughing stopped immediately and I shot a glare towards Gaara. I was NOT ready for kids. No way.

Gaara smirked and walked over to me, grabbing my bag in one hand and wrapped his free arm around my waist, leading us up the stairs. He stopped at the door closest to his and pushed it open, flicking on the light.

He dropped my bag on the floor and I walked past him, surveying my surroundings.

Like the rest of the house it had wood floors, but unlike Gaara's it was a light brown color. The walls were painted a light tan, which went well with the tan covers on the large bed.

All things considered, this room gave off a warm feeling.

I looked at the other doors in the room. One was open and led to a large walk in closet, while the other I guessed led to a bathroom. I took a step towards it, only to be stopped as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into a chest.

Gaara began to lay kisses across my neck and I tilted my head to the side, giving him more access. As I did this I felt a grittiness in the crease of my neck and wrinkled my nose.

Gaara pulled back and turned me around to look at him. "Is something wrong, Love?''

I smiled and rested my hands against his chest. "I just realized how covered in sand I really am. I seriously need a shower.''

He pouted for a moment before sighing. "Alright. I probably need one too.''

He jerked my body close to his and lowered his head slightly, capturing my gaze. "But as soon as your finished, I want you to come to my room. Okay?''

I nodded and raised myself to kiss him softly. "As soon as I'm finished.''

He nodded and released me a moment later, walking out of the room.

I closed the door behind him, grabbing my shower stuff and running into the bathroom.

I gasped and almost dropped my things. The bathroom was HUGE. There wasn't a bathtub, but the shower made up for it. It was big enough that six people could sit on the floor comfortably, without touching.

All of the glass had stained roses and vines. I opened the colored door, finding three shower heads.

I quickly turned on the water, finding the right temperature, before undressing and jumping under the scalding water.

I sighed and wondered how long the hot water would last. Though I wasn't entirely convinced that he wouldn't come looking for me if I stayed away too long.

I giggled. I was sure that walking in on me in the shower would embarrass him more then me.

I shrugged and quickly began to wash off the sand that coated my skin. I had just begun washing my hair when I remembered Gaara had done something with my ponytail holder. I hoped that he didn't throw it on the ground. I was always loosing them, and I had only brought five with me.

I shrugged, turning off the water and stepping out into the cool air. I shivered and quickly dried off, pulling my clothes on a second later.

I finished my bedtime routine before leaving the room and making my way to his. I paused in front of his door, not sure if I should knock or just walk in. I had just raised my hand to knock when the door opened and Gaara grabbed my wrist, pulling me into his chest.

I heard the door slam behind me and gasped when my back was pressed against it. I looked up into aqua eyes and smiled softly. Gaara returned the smile, and ran his fingers through my wet hair.

"I was beginning to think that I was going to have to come get you.''

I shook my head and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Nope. I have a promise to keep.''

He smirked and quickly pressed his lips to mine.

He pulled away just as quickly. "Good. Because I've been looking forward to kissing you like this.''

I smiled and he let his lips crash back onto mine. I began to respond when he pulled away again. I looked at him in confusion before noticing his smirk. He was teasing me.

I shook my head and smiled.

"You know that your wasting your time of kissing me, right?''

He growled and pressed me harder into the wood of the door, before he again covered my mouth with his.

After a moment I felt us moving and suddenly found myself laid out on the bed.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. His arm wrapped around my waist, holding me to him, and tangled his other hand in my hair.

I let him kiss me like that until I had ran out of breath and had to pull back. He shot me a glare as I wrenched my lips from his, and I gasped. "Air!''

He smirked and moved his lips to my neck as I inhaled.

Once I had my breath back, I grabbed onto his hair and pulled his lips back to mine.

I decided that I was sick of being pinned and flipped him so I could straddle him. He looked up at me in surprise a moment before I bent down to kiss him.

He cupped the back of my head and pressed a hand to my lower back, pressing my body closer. I had my hands tangled in his hair, scratching lightly at the scalp.

I felt his hands begin to wander a moment before a harsh knock sounded on his door, followed by a frantic voice. I squeaked and jerked away from him, successfully managing to fall of the bed, landing harshly on the floor.

Gaara leaned over the side of the bed and smirked down at me. "If you wanted to stop kissing me, Love all you had to do was say so. You didn't have to fall off of the bed.''

I glared up at him, gasping. "Go answer your door, Gaara.''

He frowned. "There's someone at my door?''

I nodded and as if on cue, the knocking on the door started again. This time more frantically. I sat up slowly, barely able to see over the rumpled comforter and watched as Gaara calmly opened the door.

Even with Gaara halfway blocking the view, I could see Matsuri fidgeting timidly. Her hair was windblown and she was breathing hard.

Gaara's body tensed at seeing her and his voice was again cold as he spoke. "What are you dong here Matsuri?''

I saw her eyes drift from Gaara's face down to his bare chest, her face heating slightly before she caught herself and forced her eyes back to his.

I felt a pang of possessiveness shoot through me before I could smother it. I shook my head. There was no need for those kinds of feelings.

"The council has requested your presence. They have discovered something that requires your immediate attention. They sent me to get you.''

Her eyes were straying again, but as Gaara spoke they shot back to his. "What do they want?''

She shook her head. "They would not tell me. They just said that it was important.''

Gaara nodded before striding pest her and out the door. Matsuri bit her lip, her cheeks heating even more and cleared her throat.

"Kazekage-sensei...Don't you think that you need a...a shirt?''

I heard his footsteps move back towards the room. He walked through the door, before slamming the wood in the poor girls face.

He went straight to his closet, and I pulled myself from the floor, walking to him and wrapping my arms around his waist, while resting my cheek against his back.

He sighed and laid his arms on top of mine. "Why is it that when we're in Suna that we almost always get interrupted.''

I shrugged and tightened my arms. "Because you have a demanding life.''

I reached past him and pulled a black shirt off of the hanger, handing it to him. He unwrapped my arms and swung me around, holding me to his chest. He nuzzled his face into my neck.

"I hate being Kazekage sometimes. I love being able to help my people and protecting them, but there are things that I hate about it. Like being pulled away from you in the middle of the night.''

He pulled his face from my neck to look at me. "Ask me to stay. If you asked that of me, I wouldn't go. I would stay here in this room, with you.''

I smiled sadly and kissed his jaw. "I can't ask that of you. Your people need you Gaara. Badly. I've told you this multiple times. You being the Kazekage comes first. I accept and understand that.''

I grinned. "But I DO expect for you to come back as soon as your meeting is finished. And you come back as GAARA, not Suna's KAZEKAGE. I like it when you're as relaxed as you have been recently.''

He nodded and bent to kiss me roughly. He pulled away after a moment and pulled on his shirt before shooting me an apologetic glance, walking out the door.

I sighed when it closed and hugged myself against the cold that suddenly seemed to enter the room.

I walked over to the bed and crawled under the rumpled covers, huddling into a tight ball. I needed to get used to the fact that Gaara could get called away at any time.

I remembered that he had told me on my first visit to Suna that I was more important to him then being Kazekage, and he had backed that up a moment ago by telling me to ask him to stay. No matter that this might be something important.

I sighed and shook my head. I would never ask that of him. What if the one time that I asked the village was being attacked, or the council had something SERIOUS to tell him? It would be my fault that he hadn't gone and saved his people. And he would grow to hate me for it.

I didn't think that I could handle that.

I buried my face into his pillow, inhaling his scent that lingured there and began to wonder how Gaara had met Mitsuri.

Maybe if I knew their past together I could figure out how much she loved him. If it was just admiration for the young Kazekage, or if it went deeper then that.

I sighed and rolled onto my back. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. It would cause difficulties between the two of them. I hoped that she wouldn't become difficult and vengeful. Gaara didn't need one of his ninja's going rogue.

I sat up, trying to escape my thoughts and turned to see Gaara's stuffed bear still sitting on his desk. I crawled out of the bed and moved to sit in the desk chair, folding my arms on top of the desk, setting my chin on my folded arms.

The bear looked at me with kind brown eyes and I smiled sadly.

"Alright, Mr. Bear. I know that you aren't going to give me advice, or at least I hope you wont talk back to me, but I've heard that you were a good listener and I REALLY need to talk to someone...or something.''

I frowned, wondering if I was crazy, and then shrugged it off. Of course I was. But I was going to tell this bear what I was thinking and hope that it made me feel better.

"I seem to have a dilema. I don't want to make Gaara stay away from being Kazekage, it makes him happy being able to help his people. But I want to spend time with him. And I know that's selfish, but I can't seem to help myself. Though I won't tell him about that. It would just make him feel bad, that he's not able to spend more time with me.''

I bit my lip. "Or make him want to give up being Kazekage. I don't want either of those things. I would never make him give up something that he loves, and he DOES love being Kazekage. Even if he does complain about it.''

I sighed. "And then this afternoon I find out that he has another girl in love with him. She's a ninja and gets to spend time with him because of that. She's kinda pretty too. I have to admit that I'm a bit jealous of her. That she probably gets to spend more time with Gaara then I ever have hope to.

I don't think that he realizes that she's in love with him.''

I swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat.  
"If he did I wonder if it would change things? I mean...what if he's actually in love with her and he doesn't realize it. What if he didn't realize what the feelings he felt for her were, but now that I've helped him learn what those feeling are, he realizes that he loves her too. He may feel love for her, more then he ever could for me.''

I let out a mirthless laugh. "I wouldn't keep them apart, of course. I want him to be happy. No matter who he's with. If he wants her instead of me, then I'll walk my way back to Aubry's and wish them all the happiness in the world.

I know that I won't find anyone that makes me feel the way that Gaara makes me feel, but I also know that I can be strong on my own and live my life. Though a part of my heart will forever be missing. I've given it away without any thought of what could happen.

If it does turn out that he loves her, I hope that I can tell and leave gracefully. No tears or hurt eyes. I know that he would never be able to tell me he loved her and so I would need to take matters into my own hands and leave. Though my heart will stay with him.''

I rubbed at the rebelious tears that had fallen from my eyes and shook my head. "If it makes him happy, then I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen.''

I heard a snort behind me, my eyes widening as a voice began speaking. "That's good, because I feel the same way towards you.''

I stood from the chair quickly, succeeding in knocking it over and turned towards him. I felt sand move past me and pick up the overturned chair. I rubbed away my tears and wished that my heated cheeks would cool.

Gaara was leaning against the door, his hands crossed over his chest and his face hidden in the shadows.

I swallowed. "How long have you been there?''

He shook his head, and I felt his sand swirling around my feet. "Long enough to hear you're statement of how you wanted to spend time with me.''

I flinched and felt my blush heating instead of cooling, like I was ordering it too. He had heard almost everything then.

He sighed and lowered his arms. ''Ria, come here.''

His voice was authoritative and I automatically began to move towards him. His sand swirled around me, waiting to pull me if I stopped moving.

I came to a halt within arms distance of him, but refused to lift my head, instead looking at the grains in the wood floor. I felt the sand push me forward, almost causing me to fall. Gaara wrapped his hands around my hips, steadying me and holding me in place.

"Why didn't you tell me about these things?''

I laughed a sob and felt more tears come to my eyes. "Because, apparently, I am a coward when it comes to expressing doubts.''

His sand lifted my face to look at him and though I couldn't see his eyes in the shadows, I kept my eyes on his face.

"I didn't want you to think that you had to give up being Kazekage to be with me. It scares me to think that I could be the cause of you abandoning these people.''

I paused. "And if you loved someone else, I just didn't want to know yet.''

I swallowed hard and saw his mouth turn down in a frown.

"And you're referring to Matsuri when you say someone else?''

I nodded, preparing myself for the realization to light his face. That he suddenly acknowledged that he DID love her. Instead he pulled me closer and tightened his hands. He took a step towards me, bringing his face into the light.

"I have never felt anything for Matsuri, besides a very VERY slight hint of protectiveness. I saved her a few years ago, and then trained her briefly. I wanted her to become a ninja to protect herself. Not to spend more time with her.

I've known that she's felt more for me then friendship for a while. And I did try to force myself at one point to feel SOMETHING like love towards her, since no one else seemed interested in me, but I couldn't. I understand now why. You can't force those feelings.

I've been acting cold to her for months and dropping hints that she should move on with her life, but she seems to ignore them.

What made you think that I would fall in love with someone else? I would do anything for you. Do you think that I would give up being Kazekage for MATSURI?''

He shook me gently, as if trying to get his words into my head. "No. I wouldn't. I love YOU. Not Matsuri, or hardly anyone else for that matter. I will ALWAYS love you. Even if you are turning out to be seriously over analetical.''

I laughed, tears falling lightly and threw myself at him my arms wrapping around his neck, and my legs wrapping around his waist.

He smiled against my neck and his arms tightened around me. "Did my speech calm those unnecessary fears of yours?''

I nodded and moved my head to kiss him repeatedly. He grinned and began to walk us towards his bed, laying me down gently, before pulling his shirt off and climbing in after me.

He pulled the covers over us and playfully tugged me towards him. I laughed and wiggled closer, so I could mold my body to his, sighing softly.

"So are you done kissing me for tonight?''

He nodded and yawned. "I suppose. I have to be up early tomorrow and I would like to MAYBE get some sleep. Though that probably wont happen.''

I smiled rubbing a hand across his back soothingly. "But you can rest at least.''

He nodded and tightened his arms briefly. "So what made you decide to talk to my bear?''

I shrugged. "Because I needed to talk to SOMETHING and he seemed like a good listener.''

Gaara smiled and kissed my forehead.

"I always thought that he was. I'm glad that hasn't changed.''

I smiled softly and relaxed against the pillows.

"Will you tell me about some of the things you talked about? It doesn't have to be anything important. Just random stuff.''

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. But not tonight. Maybe tomorrow...Maybe not...Sometime though...''

I laughed. He was falling asleep and didn't realize that he was rambling. I returned to rubbing his back and laid a kiss to his chest.

"Go to sleep Gaara. You can talk to me some more when you wake up.''

He hummed lightly, and rested his cheek against the crown of my head, his breathing becoming slow. I smiled and kissed his neck lightly before closing my own eyes and falling asleep.

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Naruto, or the characters. Review if you feel like it. And sorry that I haven't uploaded in a while. The good news is, I have all of this written and saved on my computer, I just have to find the time to upload all of the chapters.**

**Anyways. Thanks again for reading. I hope that you enjoyed it. Sorry for any mistakes.**


	38. Chapter 38

**I do not own Naruto or it's characters. And I apologize for any errors in the story.**

I felt Gaara's arms sliding away from me carefully and I threw a leg over his, stopping his movements.

He sighed. ''I guess that I can't sneak off without waking you up, huh?''

I laughed softly and I shook my head. ''I'm not that tired.''

He nodded and smiled. ''Well since you're awake, good morning.''

I yawned, and flexed lightly. ''What time is it?''

I felt him shift and he shrugged. ''Around four in the morning.''

I groaned. ''We went to sleep at two.''

He nodded and I sighed.

''So WHY are you waking up so early?''

He shrugged and replaced his arms, pulling me closer. ''I was going to try to get some work done early, so I could MAYBE get back to you sooner. When I was in the office yesterday I saw all the paperwork that has accumulated on my desk.''

I sighed and nuzzled into his neck. ''I guess you better go then, huh?''

He nodded, tightening his arms. ''Guess so.''

He didn't move and I laughed, causing him to smirk and I leaned up to kiss the corner of his mouth.

''Would you like for me to spend lunch with you at the tower? I'm sure Temari would let me cook something to take to you.''

He nodded quickly. ''I would like that. That way I won't need to wonder what trouble you and Misa have gotten into.''

I giggled. ''We don't get into THAT much trouble.''

He snorted and shook his head, unconvinced. ''Sure you don't, Love.''

I smiled and shrugged, changing the subject. ''So what do you want for lunch?''

He thought for a moment before smiling. ''Chocolate chip pancakes?''

I laughed and shook my head. ''Seriously?''

He nodded quickly and I smiled. ''Okay. Chocolate chip pancakes it is.''4

He smiled and relaxed. ''Good. Now I just have to wait until lunch.''

I shook my head and laughed. ''No. What you have to do first is get up and go to work.''

He groaned and rolled on top of me, nuzzling into my neck and grumbling softly. ''I don't want to get up now. You're awake and I don't want to leave you here.''

I laughed softly and he began to bite at my neck. ''Are we going to have to go through this every morning while I'm in Suna?''

He mumbled something that sounded like 'maybe' against my neck, and I opened my mouth to scold him, only to have his mouth press against mine, cutting off my words.

I smiled, and kissed him back, while slowly pushing us into a sitting position. I pulled away and Gaara looked around curiously before sighing. ''You are cruel, Love.''

I nodded and rubbed my nose against his. ''The sooner you start working, the sooner you get finished.'' He sighed and crawled out of bed.

I watched him as he gathered his robes and he must have felt my eyes on him, because he turned and smirked at me.

''Should I change in the bathroom, or would you be fine with me changing in here?''

I shrugged. ''It's your room Gaara. You can change wherever you want.''

He frowned at me before moving to the far wall and pressing on the wall. A doorway swung open and I gasped softly. I had never thought about where his bathroom was, but it never occurred to me that there was a secret door that led to it.

I was still staring at the secret door when Gaara came back out, wearing his Kazekage robes, his gourd strapped onto his back.

I giggled lightly and he smirked at me. ''What's so funny?''

I shook my head. ''You look very professional, Gaara. I feel like I should be on my best behavior when you're dressed like that. Though, I have to admit that my best behavior would still be frowned upon by any one with manners.''

He frowned and shook his head. ''I'd rather you act like you normally do. I deal with enough people that are on their best behavior around me. Whether it's because they're afraid or because I'm Kazekage. I'd rather you act normal.''

I smirked and crawled off the bed to move towards him. He placed his hands on my hips when I reached him and I smiled at him.

''I'm glad that you feel that way. 'Cause I'm not that great at being a proper chick.''

He smirked and bent to press a kiss to my forehead. ''I know that, Love.''

I stuck my tongue out at him before pushing out of his arms and moving towards the still opened the doorway.

I peeked inside and gasped.

And I had thought that the other bathroom was big. This was gigantic.

The floor and counters were black marble. The sunken tub sat in the center of the room, looking more like a small hot tub then a bathtub. It had raised edges so you could lean your head back comfortably.

The shower took up a corner of the room, made out of stone except for the glass door that was stained in black and white checkers.

Counters took up each side of the wall. One holding jack and jill sinks, the other just marble. Both had large mirrors running across the back, making the room look even larger then it was.

A separate room held the toilet, a door closing it off from the bathing area.

I knew I was gaping and could feel Gaara's amusement from behind me. I shook my head and tried to find my voice.

''I never thought that I would see a bathroom this big in someones HOUSE.''

I turned to see his smirk and he pushed me into the room. I caught my reflection in one of the long mirrors and squeaked. I looked awful. More so then I normally did in the mornings.

My eyes were bloodshot, my cheeks raw from rubbing at them and my unmanageable hair was sticking up in every direction imaginable. I groaned as I tried to run my fingers through the gnarled mess, wincing as I pulled at the knots.

I saw Gaara watching me and smiled. He grabbed something off of the counter and I suddenly felt the familiar tug of a brush.

I sighed. ''Gaara, you don't have time to brush my hair right now.''

He smirked. ''I am the Kazekage. I have time to do whatever I want. And right now, I want to brush your hair. Now relax so I can continue.''

I bit my lip and sighed, trying to do as he asked. Though it was hard when every pull of the brush tore out more of my hair.

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!**


	39. Chapter 39

Gaara finally set the brush on the counter in front of me and began braiding my hair. I raised an eyebrow at him in the mirror and he shrugged.

''I've watched Temari braid her hair plenty of times and memorized the movements.''

I rolled my eyes and suddenly caught sight of a blue band around Gaara's wrist, where his sleeve feel back. I laughed as I recognized my ponytail holder and he smiled sheepishly.

''I couldn't just leave it on the ground and I couldn't think of where else to put it. Then I just forgot about it.''

I giggled and watched as he wrapped the ponytail holder around the braid. I reached up to touch my hair when he was finished and smiled, catching a glance of the braid in the mirror.

''You did a good job. Much better then I could have done.''

He smirked smugly and nodded. ''I know. I told you that I studied how Temari braided her hair. It's common for a ninja to watch a jutsu and then copy it. Mimicking the braiding of hair was much easier.''

I shook my head and kissed his cheek gently. ''Thank you, Gaara. It wont get as tangled this way.''

He nodded and I stretched. ''Aren't you supposed to be going to work, now?''

He frowned and suddenly swooped down, throwing me over his shoulder. I squealed and craned my neck to look at him.

''What are you doing? I can walk you know?''

He shrugged, almost causing me to fall off his shoulder and began walking to his room, where he threw me onto the bed.

I 'oofed', and looked up, noticing that Gaara was hovering over me, his body shaking in his silent laughter.

''I felt like carrying you back to bed. Since I know that's where you would have gone when I left anyways.''

I glared up at him and he kissed the tip of my nose.

''Maybe you shouldn't seem so eager for me to leave next time. I won't have to carry you on my shoulder.''

I scoffed at him and he bent down to kiss me. I growled and kept my lips still. He pulled back and pouted at me.

''So now you're not going to kiss me back?''

I glared, shaking my head and he huffed, rolling his eyes.

''I CAN make you, you know. Kiss me back, I mean.''

I raised an eyebrow and shook my head while he smirked. ''Oh, Love. Yes, I can. I'll show you.''

He leaned towards me, again capturing my mouth and I sat rigidly, unwilling to let him prove me wrong.

He ran his hands over my sides before grabbing my hips tightly, causing me to gasp. He took that opportunity to deepen the kiss, one of his hands leaving my hip to cup my face, angling my head to where he wanted it.

I groaned softly and instinctively began to kiss him back, trying to match his pace. I felt him smirk and a few seconds later he pulled away, a smirk on his face.

I stared at him a moment, not understanding why he pulled away before groaning.

''Fine. I guess you can make me kiss you back. You win.''

He nodded smugly and lowered his body to lay on top of mine, nuzzling my collarbone.

''I told you. So what's my prize for winning?''

I shrugged and brought a hand up to run through his hair. ''I don't know. What do you want?''

He was silent, his breathing steady and I found myself falling to sleep, his warmth enveloping me.

He sighed, dragging me out of my daze. ''Do you know what I REALLY want?''

I shook my head. ''No, what?''

He sighed and wrapped his arms around me. ''I want to stay in bed with you all day, with no interruptions and no jealous fangirls, or windbags.''

I smiled softly and rubbed what I could of his back. ''Though I agree with that wish. I don't think that I can give it to you.''

He sighed and nodded. ''I know.''

I giggled and shook my head. ''It's good that you know, but you do realize that you still have to go to work? You will see me at lunch.''

He sighed and moved off of me. ''You're right. And I have all of that paperwork that needs to be looked over.''

I nodded and sat up, letting him kiss me roughly. I pulled back first and untangled his arms from around me.

''Have a good day Gaara. I love you.''

He smiled and nodded. ''I love you too, Ria. I'll see you at lunch.''

I nodded and watched as he moved towards the door, switched off the light and walked into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

I sighed and flopped backwards on the bed,savoring the warmth there and drawing the covers over me. I still had a while before I needed to get up, and make Gaara's lunch. I could sleep a little longer.

**Thanks for reading! And thank you for all the feedback that I've been receiving. It's greatly appreciated. **

**ANYWAYS! I don't own Naruto or it's characters. And I'm sorry of any errors or mess ups. Thanks again for reading!**


	40. Chapter 40

**I do not own Naruto, or it's characters.**

I was startled awake after what felt like a few minutes after I closed my eyes by a pounding by the bedroom door. I growled and climbed out of my warm cover cocoon and jerked open the door, finding a grinning Kankuro.

''Hey, Ria. Will you tell Gaara that he needs to go to work.''

His smile took on a perverted look. ''Unless, you wore him out so much last night that he decided to take the day off.''

I frowned and pushed some of my fallen hair from my face, my foggy brain trying to follow what he was saying. Once it finally processed what he meant I snarled and glared.

''Look, Puppet Boy. Gaara, and I haven't done anything like that, and for your information he went to work early this morning.''

Kankuro blinked at me, his face stunned and I frowned. Did he not know that I had an attitude?

He chuckled and shook his head. ''Jeez, Ria. You're kinda cranky in the morning aren't you? So Gaara left this morning?''

I yawned and nodded. ''Yeah. Around four this morning. I'm supposed to take him something for lunch.''

Kankuro's perverted look came back and he snickered. ''So you're waiting to be in the Kazekage tower before you do anything? That wouldn't be my preferred spot, but I guess if hard surfaces is what you're into...''

I snarled, but before I could speak a retort there was a squeal and I was tackled, almost falling backwards by the weight that suddenly pushed against me.

''Ria! Good-morning! How did you sleep? Aren't the beds here AMAZING!''

I groaned, trying to find my balance I was clung to.

''Misa! Too early for happiness!''

She laughed and pulled away. ''Aww. It's never to early for hugs and smiles.''

I sighed and pushed her towards Kankuro. ''Well hug you're boyfriend. I need to get dressed and make some lunch for Gaara.''

She nodded and Kankuro pulled her towards him. ''If you want, Misa, and I can walk you to the Tower on our way to market. I'm taking her out tonight.''

I nodded, and smiled lightly. ''Thank you. That would be nice. And will probably make Gaara feel better.''

Kankuro grinned. ''I know. Why do you think I offered. I'm trying to get on his good side so I can ask him a favor.''

I laughed and Misa hit his arm. ''That's awful! You should be willing to help your brother without wanting something in return.''

Kankuro rolled his eyes and I smiled at the couple. ''I'll meet you two downstairs. Say in about fifteen minutes?''

Kankuro nodded and pulled the still chattering Misa towards his room.

I shook my head and walked to my room so I could get ready for the day.

/

Five minutes later I was in the kitchen, convincing Temari to let me use her kitchen. Which wasn't all that hard to tell the truth. Tough she was a bit skeptical about the choice of food. Though her expression changed completely when I asked her if she would like to keep Butterball for the day.

She grinned and nodded quickly, throwing random containers into the lunch bag that I was supposed to take with me.

I bit my lip, wondering what concotion was inside before adding the containers of pancakes and syrup to the almost overflowing bag.

She smiled as I grabbed the heavy bag from the table and suddenly yelled for Kankuro.

I flinched at the loud noise and Kankuro came into the kitchen, Misa close behind him.

He glared at his sister and stuck a finger in his ear. ''Jeez, woman. Can't you use a less shrill voice? I think my ears are bleeding. I don't know how Shikamaru handles being in a room with you for more then ten minutes. You're so annoying.''

Temari glared back at him, her hands on her hips. ''At least I don't play with dolls like a three year old girl.''

Kankuro snarled at her, and Temari bent to grab Butterball, ignoring her brother's frown and reaching the kitchens door before Kankuro spoke again.

''They're puppets, not DOLLS. And they're used for fighting. The only thing you're voice is good for is causing all the ears around you to bleed.''

Temari threw a rude hand gesture at him, not even sparing him a glance, before walking out of the room.

I laughed and shook my head. ''She's gonna poison your food or something one day.''

He shrugged and nodded. ''I know. But she's my older sister, and I have to irritate her.''

I nodded and Misa smiled, grabbing onto Kankuro's hand. ''Are we ready to go?''

I turned towards Kankuro he smiled. ''Sure. Let's get outta here before Temari comes back ready to hit me with that giant fan of hers.''

He laughed at his own joke and I flinched, imagining Temari beating him senseless. I wondered how much that had happened as I followed him out the door.

**Thanks for reading. :)**

**Please excuse all of the mess ups. I've decided that I REALLY need to cut down on the commas when I write. .**


	41. Chapter 41

No one paid any attention to us as we walked the Suna streets.

Kankuro smiled and wrapped his arm around Misa's waist before placing his other arm around my shoulders.

''I feel like a pimp. I have a girl on each arm walking the streets.

'' I rolled my eyes and Misa giggled loudly, causing a few heads to turn our way before the people shrugged and looked away.

I frowned at their lack of interest, comparing it to the night before when all they did was stare. I suppose that it was just because they weren't used to someone walking with Gaara. Great. They would just have to get used to that.

Kankuro moved his arm from my shoulders to push the tower door open and allowed Misa, and I to enter the building first. We walked up the long stairwell and stopped in front of the sniffing man.

I frowned as I noticed him and he looked towards Kankuro first.

''Hello, Kankuro. Is there something that I can help you with?''

Kankuro nodded. ''Yeah. Is Gaara in his office?''

The man nodded. ''Yes. The Kazekage just got back from a meeting and doesn't have another until later this afternoon. Do you want to see him?''

Kankuro shook his head and pushed me towards the door. ''No. But Ria needs too.''

The sniffing man glared at me. ''Oh, it's you. I thought that you were gone. I do not know if the Kazekage wishes to see you.''

I glared at him but didn't get a chance to retort, as Kankuro's laugh grabbed the man's attention.

''He does. Trust me. If Ria, ever comes to see Gaara, just let her into his office. Even if he isn't in there. If you don't you may be looking for another job.''

The mans eyes widened and he nodded, motioning for me to go through the door. I took a step before turning to smile at Kankuro, and Misa.

''Thank you. I'll see you two later. Have fun.''

Kankuro smirked and I could have face palmed as I realized what I had said.

''Sure, Ria. You and Gaara have 'fun', too.''

I sighed and Misa giggled. ''Well...If it's the kind of 'fun' that I think you're talking about, Kankuro, and I wont be doing anything even close to that.''

Kankuro's smile fell from his face and I laughed, before waving bye and moving towards the door as the couple left the room.

I felt the secretary's eyes on me as I knocked on the door, hearing a grunt from inside that I took as permission to enter.

I pushed into the room quickly and forced back a giggle as I found Gaara, surrounded by scrolls and paperwork.

He looked up a glare on his face, but that instantly fell away when he saw that it was me.

I set the bag on the floor and walked towards him. He pushed his chair away from his desk and pulled me onto his lap when I was within arms distance.

I smiled and relaxed against him. ''How's your day been?''

He groaned and laid his head on my shoulder, nuzzling his nose into my neck.

''Boring. I've already had to deal with the windbags today, and I have another meeting with them later. Then the rest of the time I have all this paperwork. Being Kazekage is just dull some days.''

I rolled my eyes and smiled. ''Whatever. You know that you enjoy it no matter how dull.'' He nodded and sighed. ''I do. Being Kazekage has it's benefits.''

He smirked against my skin. ''Like getting my way and having no one question my orders.''

He pulled away to glare at me, playfully. ''Except for you.''

I laughed and nodded. ''Well, somebody needs to stand up to you sometimes and no one else seems to have the guts to do it.''

He smirked. ''But I can still convince you to do what I want...most of the time.''

I huffed and crossed my arms. ''That's because you cheat.''

His smirk widened and he nodded. ''But, all's fair in love and war.''

I laughed and nodded. ''Hey, that's my line!''

He shrugged and smiled. ''So what did you bring me for lunch?''

I rolled my eyes at the change of subject and moved to pick up the bag from where I dropped it.

I walked back to him, watching as he moved the papers out of the way, making a place to put the food.

I laughed. ''It looks like a blizzard of papers landed on your desk.''

Gaara shook his head in disgust. ''I HATE paperwork. I didn't become the Kazekage to sit behind a desk and sign papers.''

I smiled teasingly and laid the bag on the desk. ''No. You became Kazekage to tell people what to do.''

He snorted and began to rummage through the bag, looking curiously at all of the containers.

I shrugged and helped him pull them out. ''I don't know what most of these are. Temari put them in there.''

He flinched and began to throw them into the trash.

''Aren't you even going to look at what the are?''

He shook his head. ''No. I don't want to know.

He reached for the containers that held the pancakes and I stopped him.

''You'll want that.''

He paused and opened the lid, placing them on the desk and frowning. ''Are you not going to eat?''

I shook my head. ''No. I'm not hungry.''

He pouted. ''Does that mean that you just came to drop this off and now you're leaving me?''

I shook my head and smiled. ''No. I'll stay here as long as you want but I'm not going to eat.''

He gave me a reproachful look. ''You'll be hungry in a little bit, though.''

I shrugged. ''I'll deal with it. You on the other hand need to eat. It's not like you can just leave to get something.''

He sighed and nodded. ''I probably wont be home until late.''

I smiled. ''I figured that. Especially now that I've seen all of this paperwork.''

He sighed again and reached out to pull me back onto his lap, wrapping both arms around me.

''I'm sorry that I'm not spending time with you.''

I smiled and shook my head. ''Honey, you ARE spending time with me. What do you call what we're doing right now? You're definitely not ignoring me.''

He sighed. ''But I won't see you until late tonight.''

I shrugged. ''But you WILL see me. And if tomorrow is anything like this morning, I'll see you then too.''

I smiled. ''Don't worry so much. If I feel like you're not paying enough attention to me, I'll make sure to do something to get your attention.''

He smirked. ''What would you do to get my attention?''

I grinned. ''I'm not telling you. It's my little secret.''

He frowned. ''Well, maybe I should ignore you, just to see what you would do.''

I shook my head and laughed. ''I don't think that you could. You like holding me and kissing me too much.''

He nodded. ''You're right. And speaking of kissing you, I haven't done that since you've been here.''

I smiled and he pulled me to him tightly, pressing his lips to mine. I sighed and tangled my hands in his hair before shifting, straddling his lap and pressing myself closer.

He tightened his arms and deepened the kiss, only to have me pull away as someone knocked on the office door.

He groaned and placed his head on my shoulder. ''There's someone at my door, isn't there?''

I nodded, and slid off his lap, causing him to pout at me. ''I liked you like that.''

I rolled my eyes and moved to sit on the couch in the corner of the room, ignoring the lingering looks that Gaara was sending me.

He sighed after a moment and raised his voice, telling the person to enter. The sniffing man entered and bowed lowly.

''Kazekage-sama, Matsuri is here, wanting to know if you would like to go with her to lunch.''

Gaara shook his head. ''Please tell her that I am extremely busy and must decline.''

The secretary nodded and looked around the room curiously before spotting me on the couch. He nodded slightly, seemingly pleased with himself.

He left the room, closing the door softly and I turned to look at Gaara.

''You're secretary is weird.''

Gaara nodded and took a bite of pancake. ''He was trying to figure out where you had gone. He prides himself on being observant and I don't know what he would have done if you had slipped out without him noticing.''

I nodded. ''Like I said: Weird.''

He nodded and returned to eating.

A second later the door flew open and a livid Matsuri flew into the room.

Gaara glared and set the container he was holding on the desk.

''Is there a reason why you busted into my office?''

Matsuri placed her hands on her hips, glaring. ''I wanted to make sure that you actually told your secretary that you were too busy to have lunch with me.''

Gaara waved to the stacks of paperwork, his voice cold as he spoke. ''Are you sure now? I am EXTREMELY busy and don't have time to leave my office for anything less then an emergency.''

She nodded, looking ashamed of herself. ''I'm sorry, Kazekage-Sensei. I let my emotions get the better of me, again. I have something that I would like to discuss with you, but I will come back later.''

Gaara nodded, his eyes hardening and his voice pure ice.

''One thing before you go. Do not EVER burst into my office again. I am your Kazekage and that is not the proper respect that you should show me. Understand?''

Matsuri nodded and gulped. ''Of course, Kazekage-Sensei. I am sorry that I barged in without permission.''

Gaara nodded and turned his attention towards his paperwork. ''You are dismissed then.'' She nodded and bowed low, hurrying out of the room.

I waited until the footsteps faded and turned back towards Gaara.

''I do not want to be here when she comes back.''

Gaara frowned at me. ''Why do you say that?''

I shook my head and walked towards him. He scooted his chair back, expecting me to sit on his lap. Instead I placed myself on the cleared spot on his desk.

He pouted at me and I smiled as he pushed the chair back towards the desk and I began to run my fingers through his hair.

''She's going to tell you that she loves you. I don't want to be in the room when she does.'' He gave me an irritated look and yanked me off the desk, so I again straddled his lap.

''I thought that we had already talked about this and I convinced you that I don't love her.'' I smiled and nodded. ''It's not that. You were very convincing and I believe you. It's just that, that's something private and I don't want to witness it. It would be embarrassing.''

He nodded and smirked after a moment. ''So I'm convincing, am I?''

I snorted. ''You know that you are.''

He smiled and kissed my lips gently. ''Can I convince you to kiss me, then?''

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck.

''Fine. But what about your lunch?''

He shrugged. ''I'm not that hungry right now.''

I laughed but was cut off quickly as Gaara's mouth collided with mine.

**Thanks for Reading! Review if you would like, I know that it makes my day each time I see an email from fanfiction in my inbox.**

**Sorry for any mistakes. And I don't own Naruto or It's characters.**


	42. Chapter 42

I allowed Gaara to kiss me for a bit longer, before pushing on his chest and forcing him to eat. He pouted for a few minutes but finally reached for the now cold pancakes.

''I have a meeting in about ten minutes. And I guess I wont have time to eat later.''

He tightened his arms around me when I tried to move. ''But, I'd prefer it if you stayed where you are.''

I rolled my eyes and nodded. ''Fine. As long as you eat.''

I shifted until I could sit sideways across his lap and lean my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Gaara scarfed his food and after replacing the containers into the bag, wrapped his arms around me. I sighed and let him hold me for a couple seconds before taping his arm lightly. Pulling myself from him and standing slowly.

''You have a meeting.''

He sighed. ''Stupid meeting. Does this mean that you're leaving me now?''

I nodded. ''I probably need too.''

He frowned. ''Are you going to be walking home alone?''

I rolled my eyes and nodded. ''Yeah, Gaara. I'll be walking alone. It's not like there's a whole lot that can happen in between here, and there.''

He still looked worried and I sighed. ''I'll be FINE, Gaara. I can take care of myself.''

He shrugged. ''Still, I think that I'll make sure that you get to my house without any trouble.''

I frowned in confusion. ''How are you going to do that? You have a meeting soon and can't walk with me.''

He smirked. ''I don't have too. It's the jutsu that I told you about. The one that let me know when Misa got pulled into someones lap.''

His smirk widened. ''Would you like to see?''

I nodded quickly and he did a few hand signs before covering one of his eyes. He pointed behind me with his free hand and I turned to find an eyeball staring at me. I yelped and fell backwards, landing gracelessly on Gaara's lap.

He 'oofed' and wrapped his arms around me, holding me still and I turned to find both of his eyes staring at me.

''Are you alright, Love?''

I smiled sheepishly and nodded. ''Yeah, I'm fine. Your jutsu startled me. I wasn't expecting to see an disembodied eye staring at me. Sorry.

He smirked. ''Well, you're being startled got you back onto my lap, so I'm fine with this.'' I rolled my eyes and kissed him quickly before untangling myself and standing again, grabbing the bag.

''I really need to get out of here. Otherwise I'll make you late and that probably wouldn't go over so well with your windbags accepting me here.''

He grimaced and I frowned. ''Is something wrong?''

He shrugged and stood from his chair. ''The meeting I had last night, the one that Matsuri came to get me for, was about their view of you. That woman you met at the park got to her father sooner then I expected.''

I bit my lip. ''Wh...What did they say?''

Gaara shook his head and bent to kiss my forehead gently. ''I don't have enough time to tell you right now. But I'll explain it to you tonight when I get home. Alright?''

I nodded and kissed his lips quickly. ''Of course. I'll see you tonight then.''

He nodded. ''I'll know if you need me. But still...be careful.''

I nodded and moved towards the door, only to be stopped by Gaara's voice.

''I love you, Ria.''

I smiled over my shoulder and blew him a kiss. ''Love you too, Hon.''

His smile was the last thing that I saw before I closed the door and left the tower.

/

Though I hadn't shown it to Gaara, I was a little nervous of walking the Suna streets alone. I peeked out into the bright sunlight and calmly began walking towards his house. I felt eyes on me, but ignored it as Gaara's jutsu.

I forced myself to walk slowly while my instincts were screaming at me to run.

Something wasn't right and the eyes that I felt on me now were not friendly at all.

I paused before passing by an alley close to Gaara's house that I hadn't noticed before. I lifted my head high and walked as calmly as possible past the alley, only to be grabbed by harsh hands and pulled inside.

I forced myself to not react without seeing who the person was. I didn't want to hurt someone unless they actually meant me harm.

I looked at the person and sighed as I locked eyes with Matsuri. She was glaring at me, her eyes puffy and red.

As soon as I was in the shadows of the alleyway she dropped my arm and took a step away.

I sighed, not really wanting to deal with her today. And I REALLY didn't want to have a fight with her.

She crossed her arms over her chest and I leaned against the wall, waiting for her to speak.

''You're in love with Kazekage-Sensei, aren't you?''

I nodded, refusing to hesitate. ''Yes, I am. Very much.''

Her glare hardened and suddenly reminded me of a certain red head that BETTER be in his meeting.

''I don't like it.''

I blinked at the girl and shrugged. ''Well, I'm sorry that you feel that way, but truthfully, I don't think that you get say in who I love or not. Nor does it really matter weather you like it or not.''

She took in a deep breath, calming herself before speaking. ''I'm in love with him too. And I love him more then you. You barely KNOW him, but I've been with him for years. I've see the things that he can do and I'm not afraid of him.''

She paused, whispering under her breath. '' Not much anyways.''

She shook her head and continued. ''I will talk to him when he get's out of his meeting and I can almost promise you that when it comes to a choice between the two of us, he WILL choose me.''

I sighed and let her continue to rant. ''I'm sure that when I tell him how I feel that he will love me back. I don't think he really cares about you. He acts the same when you around, as he does when you're not. People in love act differently then people that aren't. And let me tell you, RIA: Gaara still acts like he hates the world either way.''

I didn't reply to that, though my mind was screaming that she was wrong. When I was with him Gaara acted like the world didn't exist and no one was watching us.

Matsuri shrugged. ''I think that you should go back to that gutter that you call a home. I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding your way back.''

I drew in a harsh breath, suddenly unable to hold back my temper. ''Okay. I can understand that you're angry at ME. But don't you EVER, and I mean EVER refer badly to my home again! You have NO idea where I'm from, or what it's like there, so SHUT-UP!''

I could feel my body heating violently and the flames tingling my skin. I held them back stubbornly. It wouldn't do either of us any good to burn the girl to cinders. Though at the moment, I knew that it would make me feel better.

Her eyes widened and I tried to calm myself before speaking. ''Look. Just go back to Gaara, and if he says that he wants to be with you then I will pack my bags, leave, and never bother the two of you again.''

I saw the relieved look on her face and hurried to continue. ''But he has to tell me he loves you HIMSELF. I learned a long time ago not to believe that someone doesn't love me, unless that person tells me themselves. So you make sure that he tells me.''

I stared at her a moment, before turning my back on her and walking quickly into the Kazekage Mansion.

I sighed as the door closed and leaned against it heavily, needing it's support.

I don't know how long I stayed there, but that's how Temari found me, almost dropping Butterball, when she caught sight of my face. She instantly rushed towards me.

''Ria! Are you alright?''

I smiled weekly and nodded. ''Yeah. I just didn't realize when I started dating your brother that I would have to deal with lovesick fangirls.''

Temari sighed and closed her eyes, her voice weary when she spoke. ''You met, Matsuri?''

I nodded and pushed away from the door. ''Yeah. Though I think that I scared her a bit. She looked a bit shaken when I lost my temper.''

Temari smirked. ''YOU lost your temper?''

I nodded and snickered. ''Kinda. Though it wasn't that bad. Normally if I seriously loose my temper I start screaming and burning stuff... or I cry.''

Temari laugh. ''I'll have to make sure that I don't make you angry. I don't want to get burned...or make you cry.''

I laughed and shook my head. ''I'll try not to lose my temper THAT badly.''

Temari nodded and smiled. ''Changing the subject, are you hungry?''

I shook my head. ''Not really. I kinda lost my appetite.''

Her smiled softened and she nodded. ''Alright. But I have something in the kitchen that I think you'll want to see.''

I nodded and let her lead me to the kitchen, pausing as I noticed the stack of books on the table.

Temari smiled and waved at the books. ''I went rummaging through the attic today and found some old photo albums. I thought that you might want to see them.''

I nodded and she placed Butterball on the floor. ''I have to go shopping right now. But if you have any questions about the pictures, just pull them out and ask me when I get back, okay?''

I nodded. ''Okay. Thank you.''

She nodded and after a brief goodbye, walked out of the kitchen door.

I waited till the door closed behind her before rushing to the table and flipping open the first album.

On the first page was a picture of a baby. The writing next to it read 'Gaara, one hour old.' He had a mass of red hair, and eyes that were a deeped shade of blue than he sported now.

I looked down the page and saw a young blond woman with a round belly, smiling at the camera and holding the hands of whom I thought were young Kankuro, and Temari. This picture wasn't labeled.

I looked closer at the woman and found characteristics of all three sibling in her. Though Temari favored her the most. Kankuro had her nose, and Gaara had her smile.

I smiled and turned the page.

The first picture was of a brown haired man in the Kazekage robes. I figured that this must be the siblings father, and fourth Kazekage. I frowned as I looked at him, finding that though Kankuro had his hair and eyes, Temari and Gaara didn't look like him at all.

I looked closer and shivered lightly. There was something cruel about his eyes that set me instantly on edge. I shook my head and went to the next picture, finding a man that looked like Gaara's mom. The infamous uncle.

I narrowed my eyes searching for any indication that he was as terrible as he turned out to be. There wasn't anything.

I shrugged and moved to the next picture and 'awed'. It was a picture of a toddler Gaara, he was about 2, in a crib. His eyes were already rimmed in the dark circles, telling me that even then he wasn't allowed to sleep.

I turned the page and in this photo he was around 5 or 6. I giggled. He was just SO cute. He was grinning, holding his teddy bear close to his chest. I looked at the next picture, expecting him to be the same happy child, only to suck in a quick breath at what I saw.

He was splattered with blood. His hair matted together and blood streaked down his face. His normal glare was turned towards the cameras and he held the cork to his gourd in a hand.

I turned the page, finding not only Gaara, but his siblings and an older man that had half of his face covered. All three looked terrified of Gaara, their bodies stiff in the picture.

Gaara himself had his arms crossed tightly and glared at the camera, looking as if he was going to kill the person behind it.

The next picture was of a twelve year old Gaara, his eyes filled with a hatred that none of the other pictures had held. This picture was closer up and I gasped as I got a closer look at his eyes. I glanced over the other pictures before leaning back against the chair, butting hard at my bottom lip.

In all of the photos there was a tint of gold in the normal Aqua. Gold that I had caught sight of a few times since I met him. But I had just brushed it off.

I thought back to the times I had seen it, my eyes widening. It was always when he was irritated, or when he was so angry that he wanted to kill someone.

I groaned and placed my head in my hands. I had been right: They hadn't extracted all of Shukaku. That gold in Gaara's eyes was the small part of Shukaku that was peeking through. He had been regenerating since the run in with the Akatsuki and to weak to torment Gaara. But it seemed that he was now well rested and was trying to convince Gaara to kill again.

That was probably what would make him strong again. The murdering.

I sighed and stood up, grabbing the album. I would need to tell Gaara about this. I just hoped that I could convince him that I was right.

I shook my head and walked up the stairs, my stride slow.

**I do not own Naruto, or it's characters. **

**Enjoy reading, and review if you want. Sorry for any mess-up's. Thanks for reading :)**


	43. Chapter 43

After about an hour, I had finally gotten my appetite back and returned to the kitchen, thinking about the photos. There was hardly any pictures of Gaara between the ages 7 to 13. After that age the pictures increased and I saw that the expression in his eyes changed. Though a hint of the loathing remained, it was replaced by a look of confusion that increased in each picture.

I sighed and opened the fridge, trying to find something to eat, deciding that I should probably make food for the others as well.

I looked into the refrigerator and frowned at the assortment of odd colored food that I found. I wrinkled my nose and began to pull out the ingredients for stew. Being careful to cheek the dates. Maybe I would clean out the fridge tomorrow. It seriously needed it.

I finished putting all of the ingredients into a pan and let it cook, returning to the table and pulling another album towards me.

Another photo of a 6 year old Gaara greeted me on the first page and I smiled. My mind began to wander and I brought up an image of what I thought our children might look like.

I wanted them to have his eyes and hair, and...well mostly him. Maybe not his temper. I could do without that.

I shook my head rapidly and leaned back against the chair. What was WRONG with me? Gaara and I hadn't discussed anything like that. Of course he said that he loved me, but that could change. Human feelings were so fickle.

I shrugged. Well...whoever Gaara had kids with, they would be adorable.

I returned to check the food and found that I had been daydreaming longer then I thought and the food was almost overly done. I quickly turned off the stove and moved the pan away from the heat.

I grabbed a bowl and ladled some of the stew into it, sighing as I took a bite. It was pretty good. I shrugged and ate quickly, wanting to return to my room.

As I was rinsing my bowl, Temari staggered into the room, loaded down with bags.

I gasped and ran to help her, grabbing some of the bags that had been cutting into her fingers.

''Have you been carrying all of this by yourself?''

She nodded and dropped the bags onto the counter. ''Yeah. Normally I make Kankuro go with me, so it didn't occur to me how much I actually buy. But I won't be going by myself again.''

I smiled and followed her lead, placing the bags on the counter and pointed to the stove. ''I made dinner. You don't mind do you?''

She shook her head and went to lift the lid on the pan, inhaling deeply. ''No. It's nice not having to do everything around the house. Normally I do all the cleaning, the laundry, AND the cooking. Though I do make Kankuro do the dishes sometimes. But I can't trust either boys to do anything else. Gaara CAN cook. Though he won't admit it. And it's only simple stuff...though if you can convince him to, he makes the best omelet that you've ever had.'' Temari shook her head and sighed. ''Kankuro can't cook hardly anything though and his version of cleaning is shoving everything into a closet.''

I laughed and nodded. ''Salem is like that to. He hates cleaning and the last time I left him alone to clean the living room, he threw everything away instead of putting it up. We had to go out and buy a new rug and lamp because he didn't want to vacuum or dust.''

Temari laughed and made her a bowl of stew.

''Typical brother behavior. I can't tell you how many times I've come home to find that Gaara and Kankuro had wreaked this place because they had been fighting.''

I nodded and sat across from her, flipping through another album. I had apparently found the family history album and was reading the writing below a sepia colored photo of a man when Temari's hesitant voice broke the silence.

''Hey, Ria. You love my brother, right?''

I sighed and looked at her slowly. What was it with people asking me this question today. I nodded quickly and leaned back into my chair.

''Of course I do. More then anything.''

She nodded. ''I thought so. But if he asked you tonight to marry him, you would say yes?''

I frowned. ''I'm not sure. I know I wouldn't say NO. But I think that it's too early for us to get engaged. I mean, I love Gaara and I won't ever feel the same way for another person as I do for him, but the fact remains that I don't want to rush into something so quickly. I want to know him better before I marry him.''

Temari frowned but nodded. ''I guess I can understand that. But it's not because you don't love him?''

I shook my head. ''No. I love you're brother. And I have no intention of NOT marrying him, if that's what he wants. Just not right now.''

Temari smiled and nodded. ''Good. I'm glad that he found someone like you. Not only can you keep him in line, but you bring out a more relaxed side of him that I had never seen before. I didn't even know that Gaara COULD relax.''

I laughed and nodded. ''He's wond tight a lot of the time. But he's got more to him then you would think at first glance. He's spent his entire life trying to hide his feelings and actual personality that no one would believe it if I told them that he's got a playfulness to him.''

Temari sighed and nodded. ''I remember when we were kids, before our uncles betrayal, Gaara had such a sweet smile and imagination. Don't get me wrong, he still had that temper that made everyone afraid of him and he lost control a lot because he was too young to understand how to control Shukaku.''

Temari shook her head sadly. ''Did he tell you that Kankuro and I were kept away from him for the first four years of his life?''

I shook my head and she nodded. ''Yeah. Our father wanted Gaara as excluded from the world as possible. Wanting him to learn how to control Shukaku. He and our uncle were the only two allowed to see him regularly.

To Kankuro and I, it was like we didn't even have another sibling. Like he had died with our mom. I was four when Gaara was born. Kankuro was two. He doesn't remember our mom but I do. And I remember how I felt when our father came home, showed me the red headed creature that caused my mothers death and then gave it away to my uncle.

I hated Gaara at that moment. Hated that he would take my mother away from me. I was definitely a momma's girl before she died. Anywhere she went, I was her little shadow. And at that age, all I could think about was that she wouldn't be coming back. That I would never see her smile, or here her sing, or have her hold me again.

I suppose that I should feel grateful that I have any memories of her at all. Neither Kankuro or Gaara know anything about her besides what I tell them. But all I could feel at that time was resentment.

So, my uncle took Gaara away and though I hated him, I wanted to get to know the baby that my mother had given her life for.

So I snuck out and checked on him. Watched from the window as my uncle forced him to stay awake, forced Shukaku away.

One night I saw Gaara fall asleep and watched the sand move on it's own, breaking the arm of a man who was bringing in a tray of food. Gaara didn't mean to do it, but at four I didn't understand that. So I left and didn't come back to look in on him for another two years.

The night when I worked up the courage to go see him again, I found him playing by himself in his room, smiling softly and clutching the arm of a stuffed bear.

I know that I should have went to talk to him. Maybe played a game with him, but all I could feel at that moment was a deep resentment. My childhood had been taken from me the moment he had been born. I was having to take care of Kankuro and all this boy had to do was play all night and ignore the world.

I know that if I had just went to talk to him he probably wouldn't have turned out as the sadistic teenager that he became.

All he really wanted was to have someone to play with. He couldn't even get someone to play BALL with him. They all ran away in terror. He was so alone. And all I could think about was myself and how because of him, Kankuro and I were outcasts as well. We were the Kazekages children and should have been fawned over, but because our brother was the vessel for the Shukaku, we were looked at with pity.

After our uncles death, Kankuro and I were forced to visit Gaara. Every week we were forced to have lunch with our little brother, who Kankuro had never really met. He had heard stories though. And seen Gaara's glares. They scared him so bad that Kankuro would actually shake uncontrollably.

I didn't really fear Gaara until our father made us walk into the village one day and an assassin came at Gaara. Then I understood why everyone avoided him. He tortured the man, squeezing him slowly, so his bones cracked and broke. He begged pitifully before Gaara smirked and covered him in sand completely, causing crimson blood to fall over us, staining my hair and clothes.

After that I was scared of visiting him as well and Kankuro claimed that Gaara would kill him someday. He had nightmares, of Gaara coming into his room and using that jutsu on him.

She smiled suddenly. ''He continued like that until Naruto knocked him around. After that he became more concerned about not hurting anyone and changing everyone's opinion of him. He was so tired of everyone fearing him.''

She shrugged. ''Though he still has that temper of his and sometimes he let's it get out of hand, he's pretty good at stopping it before he hurts someone.''

She smiled sheepishly and shook her head. ''Listen to me. Babbling like some old lady. You're such a captive audience that I just want to continue talking.''

I laughed. ''Don't worry about it. I was very interested in what you were saying.''

I stood up and smiled at her. ''Butterball is over by the stove. Will you be alright with him if I go upstairs and take a shower?''

She nodded and took her bowl to the sink. ''Of course. I'm used to being by myself. For the most part I enjoy it. And Butterball is wonderful company.''

I nodded and hesitated before hugging her quickly, surprising her.

''Don't worry so much about what you could have done to help Gaara. He turned out alright in the end and you can't change the past. There's no use in regretting it.''

She smiled and nodded, her eyes slightly moist. She waved towards the stairs and picked up Butterball, hiding her face in his fur.

''Sure. Thanks, Ria. Go and have your shower. Butterball and I will be fine.''

I nodded and slowly moved towards the stairs, taking one last look at the two before loosing sight of them as I walked past a wall.

/

I groaned as I felt something gritty running across my skin and tried to roll away from it only to have it follow me.

I sighed and opened my eyes reluctantly, finding sand hovering above my body.

I sat up and it began to tug on my hands and waist, urging me to follow it.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, as the sand practically dragged me to Gaara's room, not letting me pause at the closed door, but pushing it open harshly.

I blinked in the dim room, finding Gaara with his back to me. I frowned as I noticed his tense shoulders.

''Gaara?''

He didn't turn, but held an arm out towards me. I slowly walked to him and he curled the arm around me, pulling me into his side.

''I'm sorry that I woke you. I just really needed to hold you for a moment.''

I shook my head and wrapped my arms around him. ''Don't worry about it. I was trying to stay awake for you, but I guess I got to relaxed after my shower and fell asleep.''

He nodded and wrapped his other arm around me, petting my hair softly.

I let him do this for a few seconds, letting him calm down before speaking again.

''What has you so angry, Hon?''

He shrugged. ''Multiple things. What the council said last night and this afternoon and the things that Matsuri said.''

I sighed and pushed him gently until he was sitting on the edge of the bed, his arms refusing to release me.

I crawled onto his lap, wrapping myself around him comfortingly, keeping my voice calm.

''Let's take this one problem at a time. What did the council say?''

He took a deep breath and tightened his arms.

''I told you this afternoon about the woman talking to her father last night. Apparently, she only had good things to say about you and the man called the other council members together to discuss MY personal life. They had never thought that I would fall in love with someone and so had never discussed what would happen if I started dating or got married.

But now, they wondered if I should even be allowed to CHOOSE who I wanted to be with. Most of the time the Kazekage's spouse is chosen for him. Whether for peace or rare jutsus that run in their family.

My parents were an arranged couple. And look how well that turned out.

The man who's daughter we met, pointed this out and suggested that the council leave things alone. One of the others agreed, but the other three don't want to give up that power. Two want me to marry a girl from Suna the other, a girl from the waterfall village.

They called me in last night because they wanted to make sure what you meant to me before they decided to make any further plans. When I told them I wouldn't accept any other girl, two council members stood with me but the other three argued that it was tradition and I was a Kazekage and should follow the traditions.

I told them that they could shove their traditions for all I cared, stormed out and came home.

Today they tried again to 'reason' with me, bringing in PICTURES of some of the Suna girls with good bloodlines. I ripped the pictures up and threw them at them. I must have seemed like a child having a tantrum, but I couldn't help myself. I told them that I would not marry anyone that I hadn't chosen myself and if they didn't like it, then I was more then ready to remind them WHY I was made the Kazekage in the first place. None of them took my offer, deciding to drop the subject. Though I know that they will bring it up again.''

He stopped and drew in a deep breath, his arms tightening around me. ''How DARE they try to force this on me? I will NOT marry someone that I do not love.''

He was shaking harshly and I swallowed hard before taking a quick look at his eyes. Sure enough, the gold that usual stayed hidden was bright and flashing dangerously.

I tightened my arms around his shoulder, pressing my body to his.

''It's alright Gaara. I don't think that they can MAKE you marry anyone. Especially not if they're not unanimous.''

Gaara growled darkly. ''Or if I kill them.''

I sucked in a startled breath and shook my head. ''You can't do that sweetheart. It would not be right. Though it would be easier. Remember that you've been trying to convince everyone that you DON'T kill everyone that displeases you. What kind of leader would you seem of you returned to that?''

He tensed for a moment, but slumped forward a second later.

''You're right. I wish you weren't, but you're right.''

I sighed and looked at his eyes seeing the gold receding. I didn't want to bring it back, but we needed to discuss the other problem he had today.

I pulled back slightly and cupped his cheek, running my thumb over the ring under his eye.

''Now. Tell me what Matsuri said to you. I know that you saw her confront me today.''

He nodded and though the gold was still present, it stayed in the background.

''Like you warned me she would, she claimed to love me. I told her that I could never love her back and at that point she became so angry that she started yelling at me. I guess she forgot who she was talking too.

She began calling you all sorts of names that even I hadn't heard of, and though I DID try I couldn't force my anger down. The final straw was when she said that I would regret my decision and that I didn't even know what love was, so I COULDN'T love you.

At that point, I lost it. My sand wrapped around her and squeezed. I didn't really hurt her, but I enjoyed the look of fear that entered her eyes when I tightened the sand. And I heard Shukaku's voice telling me to finish her. To cover my office with her blood. She was such an insignificant ninja anyways, so why not kill her?

I stopped myself and threw her from the room, locking myself in my office for the rest of the day.''

He shook his head. ''What is WRONG with me, Ria?''

I sighed and hugged him tightly. ''It's because you still have Shukaku inside of you.''

He pulled away and looked at me startled.

''What?''

I nodded. ''I was looking in some of the old albums that your sister kept and I noticed something off about your eyes. Something that happens even now when you get really angry. There's a golden tint that isn't there until you're ready to kill someone. And it's only in the pictures when you're angry.''

Gaara paused and closed his eyes, his body going still.

I sighed and ran my fingers through his hair gently, letting him do his soul searching in silence. A few minutes later, his eye flew open and he gripped me to him tightly.

''You're right. I just thought that it was memories of him, but it's not! I didn't even have to search hard to find him. He was hiding all of this time, trying to gain strength so he could talk to me and when he FINALLY came out he was still too weak to take control. But he's gotten a lot of his power back, though he still can't control me, at least not for very long. That's why I can sleep.

But all of these awful things that I've been thinking, all of the death that I've been seeing in my dreams is because he is still inside of me. I am still the vessel of the Shukaku.''

I nodded and kissed his forehead gently.

''Yeah.''

He frowned. ''Are you not frightened?''

I shook my head and leaned back slightly. ''Not really. You've had Shukaku in you all of this time. I trust you to keep control of yourself.''

I smiled. ''And besides...I love you. It doesn't matter to me if you have Shukaku inside of you or not. I will STILL love you.''

He smiled and kissed me gently before tossing me behind him to land on the bed while he stood up.

I gasped at the sudden movement and stared up at him in shock. He smirked and shrugged, gathering up his night pants.

''I need a shower.''

I rolled my eyes and wriggled under the covers, shivering as the cold sheets made contact with my skin.

He frowned and moved towards the bathroom, talking over his shoulder. ''I'll be back to warm you up in a little bit.''

I nodded, realizing too late that he couldn't see me and closed my eyes as the bathroom door closed. I sighed as the sound of running water relaxed me, but huffed as the cold covers brushed against me again.

Stupid cold covers. Stupid cold room. And stupid desert that got to 15 degrees in the night time. I groaned and rolled to my other side, glaring at the door, hoping that my meager body heat would soon warm the covers.

I don't know how long I laid there, simply glaring at the door, but I didn't move again until a pair of warm arms wrapped around me tightly, causing me to gasp.

The arms pulled me back into a still damp chest and I sighed. I turned in his arms, finding a smirk on his face and nuzzled my nose into his chest, inhaling deeply.

''Hmm. You're really warm right now. Do you know that?''

He huffed lightly, tightening his arms. ''Sometimes I think that you love me because I'm warm.''

I shrugged and pressed myself closer. ''No. You also smell REALLY REALLY good.''

He scoffed and shook his head. ''Oh. So you love me because of my body wash and my warmth. I understand.''

I laughed at his teasing and shook my head, laying a kiss to the center of his chest, feeling him shiver lightly.

''I would love you even if you weren't warm or you didn't use that type of body wash. Because you are you.''

He snorted in amusement and laid a kiss to my forehead. ''You're beginning to ramble, Love. But before you go to sleep, I want to kiss you.''

I nodded and tilted my head back so he could press his mouth to mine.

His lips moved against mine gently, slowly coaxing me to follow his lead. His hands came up to curl in my hair, angling my head back to deepen the kiss. I sighed against his mouth and he pulled away with a small nip to my bottom lip.

He smiled and pulled me back to his chest, pressing my head to his arm.

''Goodnight, Love. I'll most likely wake you up in the morning when I get up.''

I nodded and snuggled into him.

''Alright. I love you too, Gaara. Goodnight.''

He began to stroke my hair gently and I soon felt myself falling to sleep.


	44. Chapter 44

A week passed quickly, without anything spectacular happening.

Temari had been sent to the leaf to deliver some scrolls and wasn't supposed to be back for another week. So I took advantage of her absence, trying to teach Misa how to cook.

She truthfully did well if it was something quick and she actually PAID ATTENTION to the instructions and didn't daydream. But if I set her to baking or something that took more then ten minutes, she needed a timer or she would run off and let it burn.

At the moment we were baking cookies, since I had promised Gaara that morning that he would have some when he got home. I had convinced Misa that we needed to stay in the kitchen and make sure they didn't burn.

I sighed as she began to fidget and rubbed at a knot in my neck.

''So what do you think we should make for dinner?''

Misa shrugged and went to the pantry. ''I don't know. Kankuro said that he's beginning to like ramen. Do we have the stuff for that?''

I nodded and gave her the recipe that I had found.

''Yeah. Just pull this stuff out and we'll get started.''

She nodded hurriedly and I turned to pull the cookies out of the oven, pausing when I felt an eerie feeling settle over me. I hesitated and casually glanced to the side, seeing a shadow moving towards me.

I stepped to the side just as a fist came forward and hit the stove, where I had been standing a moment before.

I turned and found a man glaring at me.

I crossed my arms, but kept my voice lite. ''Can I help you?''

He nodded and stepped towards me. I scampered away from him and glared.

''I think that you're in the wrong house and you need to leave.''

He smirked and raised his hands in a deceptively peaceful manner.

''Listen. I don't want to hurt you. So, why don't you just come with me peacefully and I wont have to damage that pretty face of yours.''

I raised an eyebrow and snorted. ''I'm not going anywhere with you.''

He shrugged and moved towards me. ''Then I'll have to drag you away by force.''

I frowned and grabbed the cookie sheet, hitting him in the side of the head as he charged towards me. He yelled as the solid, hot, metal met with his head and I saw another man enter through the living room and Misa throw a bag of flower at him as she came out of the pantry.

He growled and moved towards her. I snarled, and let some flames flow to the surface, throwing them at the man. He screamed and Misa took that opportunity to scratch at his eyes.

I turned back to the man that had attacked me as he stumbled to his feet, holding his burnt face.

He roared and lunged towards me, a kunai in his hand. I danced away and landed a punch to his unprotected stomach, making sure that flames surrounded my fist.

He roared and I danced away again as he swung the kunai. It took a moment to realize that he had faked to the left and I yelped as the blade of the kunai sliced through the skin of my arm.

I grabbed the skillet from the counter and swung at the man. He evaded me and I growled, suddenly wondering why I never let Dolly teach me some defense moves against ninja's, before I shot flames at the mans eyes and he yelped putting a arm up to shield his face. I took his sudden distraction and swung the skillet hard, catching him in the temple.

He fell to the floor clutching his head and I ran over to Misa who was pushing the man away with air blasts. I hit the man with the skillet, catching his shoulder. He snarled and clutched his shoulder turning towards me. Misa sent a blast of razor sharp wind towards him, cutting his skin and he yelled.

I tried to move towards her, but was suddenly grabbed around the waist and thrown into the wall, a fist connecting with my stomach. I gasped and fell to the floor, only to have the man kick me in the ribs. I screamed and let the flames envelope me shooting them at the man, letting them crawl up his legs and set his clothes on fire.

He screamed and began to run into the walls.

I stumbled to my feet, finding Misa being pinned to the wall and getting hit repeatedly. I stumbled towards her and grabbed the man by his long hair, yanking on it harshly and setting it on fire.

He screamed and I ignored the smell of burnt hair as I grabbed Misa's hand, pulling her towards the open door.

''We gotta go. We can't stay in here.''

She nodded and we ran as fast as possible outside. Misa gasped, and held her arm, which was twisted at a strange angle.

''Where are we going?''

I shrugged and growled as my ribs throbbed.

''Somewhere with ninja's. I don't know if we can make it to the Kazekage tower.''

She nodded and we suddenly found ourselves close to the market, slowly being surrounded by men.

I bit my lip and Misa whimpered.

''Im hurt, Ria.''

I nodded and pulled her behind me. ''I know, Misa. But we can't just let them win without a fight. Just stay close to me, okay?''

She nodded and I took a deep breath before letting a ring of white fire spread out from around Misa and I, flying towards the men that were closing in on us. I heard multiple screams, not aware that I had closed my eyes and wrinkled my nose, as the smell of burnt flesh reached me.

I opened my eyes, finding a gap in between the men, a few having fallen away screaming at their burns. I pushed Misa towards the gap.

''Run, Misa!''

She took off, limping slightly and I moved to follow her.

I was almost to the gap between the men when I was suddenly jerked to a stop, somebody grabbing onto my hair and pulling hard, jerking me backwards and off of my feet.

I saw Misa pause and tried to shake my head.

''No, Misa. Run!''

She paused but nodded, running towards the tower. I was surrounded and somebody reached down only to have their hands burned. They yelped and I was suddenly being kicked and hit rapidly. Somebody stomped on my arm and I screamed as the bone snapped.

I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, but forced myself to listen as they spoke. ''What do we do about the other one?''

Another voice answered. ''She doesn't matter. We were sent to get the Kazekage's girlfriend. That other girl isn't necessary.''

There was movement and I was suddenly swung over someones shoulder, causing all of my shattered bones to move and I screamed before a hand at my neck sent me into darkness.

**Phew. That was a bit hard for me to write, since I don't normally put action scenes into my stories. But I kinda like how it turned out. :) Anyways, hope you enjoyed it. And thanks for reading and for the reviews that I've been receiving. **

**As always: I do not own Naruto, or it's Characters. And I am sorry for any errors that you find in this story. **

**Thanks for reading. :)**


	45. Chapter 45

I woke up and whimpered as my body throbbed.

I opened my eyes and had to blink a few times to clear the haze from them.

I tried to move my arms and yelped as my left arm screamed at me.

My right arm was chained to the wall and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't pull my wrist from iron cuff.

I heard the door to my right open and turned my head towards the sound. A man of about 28 came towards me and knelt a few feet away. He studied me closely and I did the same to him, refusing to flinch away.

He had gray eyes and a nice enough looking face. His sandy hair was cut short and he had a slight build. Nothing like the men that had attacked Misa and I.

He smiled, showing of straight white teeth but it didn't reach his eyes.

''Hello, there. You gave my men quite a time today didn't you?''

I nodded and he frowned. ''I'll unlock that chain if you promise not to run away.''

I blinked and he sighed. ''You're truthfully hurt so bad that I would be surprised if you could even walk without the adrenaline, much less run.''

He reached above me and unlocked the chain. I let my arm fall to my lap. It was too bad that I was too tired to summon any fire or I could have killed this guy and left.

He smirked and sat a few feet away. ''I would have preferred if you weren't hurt as bad as you are. It'll be hard to sell you with the way your face looks. But I suppose that that's not my problem.''

My eyes widened and he chuckled as I winced, noticing for the first time that one of my eyes was swollen.

He stood up and moved to lean against the wall across from me. ''You're probably wondering why I've done this, right?''

I nodded and he shrugged. ''I'm a business man. Understand that this is nothing personal. I have nothing against you or the Kazekage. But the men that keep me out of trouble do. So they contacted me, wanting me to get rid of you. In exchange, I can walk through Suna and multiple other places without worrying about getting taken into custody.''

He shrugged. ''It took me a few days to figure out what to do with you. I'm against killing women. Especially young women like you. So I contacted a couple of men who agreed to sell you. They get to keep the money they make off of you and I get to keep walking the streets like a normal person.''

I groaned and tried to force my abused body to move, only to scream as I felt my broken ribs push against my side and through my skin.

The man sighed and went to the door, opening it and yelling at someone.

''Are they here yet?''

There was a muffled reply and the man came back in followed by two hooded men. The shorter man gasped and I suddenly felt a hand on my cheek. I flinched away, instantly regretting the action as my ribs pushed further out of my side.

The man next to me groaned and turned his head towards the other cloaked man.

''She's hurt bad.''

I opened my eyes instantly. I knew that voice. I looked up at the cloaked man and smiled as he pushed the hood from his hair.

''Well, hi there, Dristan. 'Magin meetin' you in a place like this.''

He chuckled at my fake southern accent and moved the hair from my face.

''Hey there, Ria. You look like crap.''

I tried to laugh, but wound up grasping my side and groaning . ''Ugh. Don't make me laugh.'' Dristan bit his lip and turned to the other man, who I figured was Ash.

''What're we going to do?''

Ash pushed back his hood and I saw a dangerous look on his face as he turned towards my captor.

''What do you expect us to do with HER? We can't sell her and even if we didn't know her, the condition that she's in wouldn't be worth the risk.''

The man huffed and crossed his arms. ''That isn't my problem now. Just get her out of Suna before the Kazekage finds her.''

Dristan frowned. ''Why would the Kazekage care if a visitor went missing?''

I smiled lightly and shrugged carefully, finding that my left arm couldn't move

''He didn't tell you much did he?''

Dristan frowned and Ash groaned, rubbing his face wearily.

''Aubry said something about Misa and Ria dating powerful ninjas in Suna.''

He looked at me. ''Don't tell me that you are dating the Kazekage?''

I smiled and he groaned again before Dristan laughed.

''You would go for the best, Ria.''

I nodded and Dristan pulled out a roll of gauze from his pocket.

''Raise your shirt so I can bandage your side. You're bleeding.''

I nodded and lifted my shirt, ignoring his gasp as he saw the protruding bone. He wrapped the gauze around me quickly and frowned.

''We need to get her to a doctor, Ash. If Sasori finds out that we saw her like this and did nothing, he'll be at our throats faster then we can go into hiding.''

I smiled at the mention of Dolly and my captor scoffed.

''You can't just let her go! We had a deal.''

Ash growled and made a threatening move towards him, causing the man to stumble back.

''You can KEEP your deal. If you KNEW who her family was you wouldn't have captured her in the first place. Do you KNOW what they would DO to you?''

The man shrugged. ''I have immunity from the men I work for. None of the Kage's can touch me.''

Ash snarled and Dristan laughed, before replying. ''Who said anything about KAGE'S? We were talking about her FATHER.''

Dristan paused. ''Wasn't Sasori from Suna?''

I nodded and Ash smirked. ''If he found out what you've done to her you wouldn't be able to hide OR go to your employers. He will track you down and make you WISH he would just kill you.''

Dristan shuddered. ''I heard that the last man he tortured before he left the Akatsuki was kept awake as he pulled his organs from his body and cut him apart. They said that the mans screams could be heard through the entire village for HOURS.''

He looked at me and I tried to shrug. It wouldn't surprise me.

Ash swallowed thickly and I saw the other man's face turn white.

''S...So what are you going to do with her?''

Ash frowned and Dristan looked at me.

''We should probably take her to the hospital.''

I groaned, and shook my head. ''No. No hospital. Just go find one of the ninja's that's looking for me.''

Dristan frowned, looking at Ash, who hesitated.

''Can you swear to us that you will not mention our part in this to Sasori?''

I bit my lip. ''I can promise you that I will portray you as my rescuers and convince him not to go after you?''

Ash frowned and Dristan nodded. ''It sounds good to me. If Sasori ever found out about this...fiasco, even if Ria didn't tell him, he would confront us. And we may not make it out alive.''

Ash nodded and Dristan moved away from me. ''Keep the fool here and I'll be back with the ninja's.''

Ash again nodded and the man moved to follow Dristan. Ash placed a hand on his shoulder and threw him into the wall.

''He was talking about you, not Ria.''

I chuckled and groaned as my ribs throbbed.

Ash winced and kept an eye on the other man, who was now slumped against the wall.

We didn't have to wait long for Dristan to get back with the ninja's and I instantly saw Kankuro. He caught sight of me and was by my side, lifting me gently into his arms. I groaned and I saw him wince.

''Dang, Ria. Gaara is NOT going to be happy to see you like this. Though truthfully he hasn't been happy since Misa ran into the tower, screaming about you being kidnapped.''

I sighed. ''Where is he now?''

Kankuro shrugged and I winced as the motion jostled me.

''Let's get you to the hospital and then we'll talk about Gaara.''

I groaned and shook my head. ''No! No hospital.''

Kankuro sighed. ''Am I going to have the same issue with you as I did with Misa?''

I growled and he groaned. ''Yap. Same issue. Well, I'm not risking you hurting yourself anymore, so I'm sorry, but you'll forgive me later.''

I frowned at him as his hand moved, and I again fell into darkness.

**I do not own Naurto or it's characters. Thanks for reading.**


	46. Chapter 46

I groaned as a frantic voice woke me and I wrinkled my nose as a faint smell of ammonia hit me. I gasped and opened my eyes, finding myself in a white walled hospital being surrounded by nurses, Kankuro still holding me.

I began to struggle and he yelled.

''Ria! Stop struggling! This is for your own good!''

I screamed and pushed against his chest.

''No! I don't want to be here! Let me GO!''

Kankuro yelped as I almost wriggled out of his arms, only to be caught by another pair of steely arms and hugged tightly to a chest.

I looked up and saw Gaara's aqua eyes staring back at me. I sighed and relaxed against him.

''I don't want to be here. I don't like hospitals.''

He sighed and ignored the wheelchair that a nurse had pushed towards us.

''I'll carry her.''

The nurse nodded and led us into a room that was already filled with people. I whined, and pressed closer to Gaara, who tightened his arms before turning to Kankuro who had followed us.

''You can go check on Misa.''

He nodded, before rushing off and a nurse closed the door. Gaara went to stand by a wall after placing me on the examination table, where he could survey everything that the people were doing.

A man in a white coat came towards me and I growled at him lowly. He paused and glanced at Gaara who nodded at him.

''Miss. We need to check your wounds. We can't treat anything until we know what's wrong.''

I bit my lip and nodded slowly. ''I can't move my left arm.''

The doctor frowned and nodded to a male nurse. ''We'll have to cut the shirt off.''

He turned towards Gaara and bowed slightly.

''Kazekage-sama, you might wish to step outside?''

Gaara crossed his arms and I smiled as the doctor sighed and turned back to the nurse, who had grabbed a pair of scissors.

He cut my shirt off and I flinched as the cold metal slid against my skin, leaving me in my bra.

The doctor looked at the bandages that covered my torso and took the scissors, cutting those off as well. He paused as the bandages stuck to the drying blood on my side, and sighed.

''This is going to hurt.''

I nodded and gritted my teeth as he pulled the gauze free, causing the bleeding to start anew.

I looked at Gaara and saw him close his eyes briefly before returning his gaze to my face. I felt the doctor probe at the protruding bone and I hissed.

''Do I look like a cow being sold in the slaughterhouse?''

His eyes widened and he shook his head.

I growled. ''Then stop poking at me like I am.''

The doctor sighed again and I swore if he did it again, I was going to tear his spine out through the hollow of his throat and strangle him with it.

I felt the prick of a needle and turned a glare towards another nurse, who was by my injured arm. She began to feel the bones and I suddenly felt sick from the pain.

''Her radius is fractured, and her shoulder is out of place.''

The doctor nodded and wrote on his clipboard before pressing at my ribs.

''Three ribs broken on the right side, two on the left.''

The male nurse touched my face and back of my head, coming back with bloody fingers.

''Black eyes, but nothing broken and a concussion.''

The doctor nodded and went back to writing on his clipboard as the female nurse began to unbutton my jeans. I slapped her hands away and snarled.

''Keep your hands to yourself, lady.''

She held her up in surrender and stepped away. ''I was just checking for injuries on your legs, Miss.''

I shook my head. ''The only problems I have on my hips and legs are a few bruises. Just stick to my upper body.''

She looked towards the doctor, who nodded.

''She's not in shock. She would know if her legs were hurt.''

The nurse nodded before moving behind me and cleaning my head with a wet cloth.

''The head wound does not need stitches.''

The doctor nodded and stuck another needle into my side, numbing it.

''Good. The side wound will.''

I looked away as he began to work on my side, not wanting to know how he would move the bone and stitch it up. The male nurse slid my shoulder back into place and wrapped my arm. He then performed some hand signs before a green glow left his palms and soothed the pain.

I felt the same sensation on the back of my head and closed my eyes, feeling the pain lessen.

A moment later the doctor began to wrap bandages around my side and I opened my eyes to see his hands also glowing green.

''We can't heal the wounds completely. Your bones, for instance, will take time. But our jutsu does speed up the process. Instead of taking months, it should only take two weeks. This is completely healed of course. Most people ignore the doctors advice and start moving their almost healed arm sooner then we recommend.''

I nodded. ''Can I leave now?''

The doctor frowned and Gaara shifted as the doctor spoke.

''She will need to be watched carefully, because of that concussion...''

Gaara nodded and walked forwards, the nurses moving out of his way.

''I'll do that. She wants to go home. She'll need to wake up every two hours?''

The doctor nodded. ''Yes. If you prefer for her to stay...''

Gaara's glare stopped him from speaking and the doctor nodded.

''Of course, you wish to have her home, Kazekage-Sama. If you need any help, simply send for us.''

Gaara nodded and picked me up gently. I sighed and tucked my head under his chin. The doctor stopped us suddenly and held out a bottle, which I took with my working hand.

''Those are pain medication. You will need to take one ebery two hours for the first three days or so. By the fourth day you should be able to use over the counter pain reliever. I would also like for you to come to the hospital in a few days for a check up.''

I sighed and nodded, grudgingly saying thanks to the doctor before turning to Gaara, and bitting my lip.

''Where's Misa?''

Gaara frowned and walked us down the hallway to another door. He knocked on it gently and a moment later a tired looking Kankuro opened it.

''Hey Gaara. What's the verdict?''

He shrugged, careful not to jar me too much.

''She had a bone sticking out of her skin.''

Kankuro winced and moved aside so I could see Misa on the bed. She had an I.V. In her hand and her face was pale, bandages wrapped around her head and a hospital nightgown covering her.

She smiled when she saw me. ''Hey, Ria! I'm so glad they found you.''

I nodded and smiled. ''Yeah. It was actually Dristan and Ash that found me and went for help.''

Misa smiled. ''Dristan's here?''

I shrugged my good shoulder. ''I don't know if he is anymore. They were pretty skittish when they found out it was me.''

Misa nodded and closed her eyes. ''I told you that it was good to know them.''

I laughed lightly and nodded. ''Yeah. You were right. How'd you do when Kankuro brought you here?''

She groaned. ''I hated it. These people get into your bubble!''

I smiled and nodded. ''Yeah. I know. I hate these places.''

She nodded and grimaced. ''I have to stay here overnight. There's something wrong with me that they wanted to watch.''

I nodded. ''I'll have to see you tomorrow then.''

She nodded and Kankuro sat next to her. ''I'm gonna stay here with Misa. Alright Gaara?'' Gaara nodded. ''That's fine. I'm taking Ria, home. I'll deal with everything else tomorrow.''

Kankuro nodded and relaxed next to Misa who was so drugged up that she had fallen asleep the moment her eyes had closed.

Gaara didn't wait to tell his brother goodbye before surrounding us in sand and transporting us into his house. We winded up in the kitchen and I sighed.

''Temari isn't going to be happy about the mess in here.''

Gaara growled and placed me on the counter before fixing me a glass of water.

''She'll get over it.''

I nodded and he handed me the glass and a pill from the bottle that the doctors had given me.

''Take this, Ria.''

I did as he said and shivered. I looked down at myself, and found that I still didn't have a shirt. I frowned, and found that Gaara's robes were rumpled.

I smiled. ''Did you have me wrapped up in your robes, Gaara?''

He nodded and picked me up, walking us slowly up the stairs.

''I didn't think you would like to run around the hospital with out a shirt. I know that I didn't want for you too.''

I nodded and kissed his shoulder. ''You're right. I wouldn't. Thank you.''

He nodded and sat me gently on his bed before standing. ''I'll go get your night things. Don't move.''

I nodded and watched as he walked tensely from the room. I bit my lip and sighed. He was angry. Really angry. Though I knew that it wasn't at me, I still didn't like it. He was trying so hard to keep his calm that I knew that he would explode if even a tiny thing added on to his anger.

I waited for a few minutes for him to return, the pills slowly taking affect. I giggled suddenly and covered my mouth. Oh. No. They made me loopy. I looked towards the corner and saw a pink bunny, standing upright, a black cape over it's shoulders and a scythe clutched in its paw.

I groaned and hit my forehead with my able hand.

''Oh no! Not again!''

I was covering my eyes when Gaara came back in and he pulled my hand away from my face, his eyes worried.

''Are you alright, Love?''

I nodded and smiled sheepishly. ''I'm hallucinating. And extremely giddy.''

He frowned and grabbed the bottle, reading the label before nodding. ''Yap. May cause drowsiness, hallucinations, and a sense of euphoria.''

I giggled and he shook his head before helping me to my feet and leading me to his bathroom, where he placed my pajamas. My toothbrush and face wash had found their way into the bathroom days ago.

Gaara paused and looked over me, his face heating slightly. ''Do you need my help?''

I shook my head. ''No. I think I can manage. The nightshirt buttons and I can do that one handed.''

He nodded. ''Yell for me if you need help. I'll leave the door cracked.''

I nodded and pulled my nightshirt towards me, Gaara hurrying from the room.

I smiled and pulled my jeans off and my night pants on, finding it hard to do without moving my left arm. I finally got them up and decided to brush my teeth before attempting with the shirt.

I sighed. The hardest part was getting the two sides of the shirt together and keeping them there while I grabbed at the buttons. I sighed as I got it buttoned...mostly, and walked out of the bathroom, finding Gaara already laid out on the bed, the covers turned down on my side so I could crawl under them easily.

I smiled and slid under them, pressing myself to Gaara's bare back and laying a kiss to his shoulder blade.

He sighed and pulled away slightly.

''Stop, Ria.''

I smiled. ''Why? You normally like my kisses.''

His voice was cold as he answered. ''You're hurt right now.''

I giggled and inched closer. ''But I'm not HURTING. It's all fuzzy right now.''

I placed my lips to his back and let my tongue lick there. He growled and his sand lifted me, placing me on the other side of the bed.

''I said STOP.''

I gasped lightly and had to swallow hard at the sudden tears that filled my eyes. I knew somewhere deep down that I was being foolish and that Gaara wasn't meaning to be cruel, but my brain was toofoggy from drugs and exhaustion to comprehend that he was trying not to hurt me.

All I could think about was what I had gone through and that I wanted to be held. And he had pushed me away.

I rolled off the edge of the bed and moved towards the door, hearing a movement behind me as Gaara turned to look at me.

''Where are you going?''

I shrugged my good shoulder. ''To my room. You don't seem to want me here and I'm not going to stay anywhere that I'm not wanted.''

He sighed. ''Ria, come back to bed.''

I shook my head and took another step towards the door. He hadn't said anything about me being wrong and he DID want me with him. And in my drugged mind, all I wanted to do was leave him alone and have a pity party.

I felt a few of the treacherous tears fall and frowned as sand blocked the doorknob. I stiffened, refusing to turn to look at him.

''Move your sand, Gaara. I want to leave.''

He paused and I saw the sand move from the door, only to wrap around my hips and pull me back towards the bed. And for the first time since I had met Gaara, I struggled against the sand, my tears flowing down my face and making dark spots as they landed on the sand.

The sand paused and I suddenly felt arms wrap around me, and pull me back into a hard chest.

''Are you crying, Ria?''

I shook my head and cursed myself as my voice broke. ''N...No.''

He sighed and turned me so he could see me, lifting his hand to brush away my tears.

''I hurt you didn't I?''

I shrugged, refusing to look at his face.

''That didn't seem to matter to you a minute ago.''

He sighed and placed a hand under my chin to lift my face to his, his eyes repentant.

''I'm sorry, Love. I didn't want to hurt you physically. It never occurred to me that I could hurt you emotionally by pulling away. What happened today...'' He shook his head and caressed my cheek.

''Do you know how helpless I felt when Misa ran into the Tower as broken as she was?''

I bit my lip and he shook his head. ''The first words out of her mouth was, 'they took Ria.' I could have destroyed the entire village without thought at that moment. I didn't know where you were or what had happened, Misa passed out after stating you were taken, and Kankuro literally had to hold me down so I wouldn't rush off.

He told me that I had to think, but I couldn't. All I had running through my mind was that you could be hurt, or dying and I had no way of finding you. Of helping you.

Kankuro punched me in the face to get me to think and I finally calmed down enough to organize a search party. I wanted to go with them, but at that moment the council thought that whoever took you, must want me to look for you and that it was a trap. I knew that if Suna was destroyed while I was searching for you that you would be disappointed in me and I couldn't stand that.

The men that you and Misa fought are in our custody, along with the man that held you captive. The others that surrounded you have gotten away but I don't think that they're of any importance. They were just hired mercenaries.''

He pulled me to him gently and rubbed my back. ''What would I have done without you? How would I survive, Ria? I'm sorry I hurt you, by not explaining this earlier and pushing you away, but to know that I could cause you more pain by holding you to me, because I was so relieved to have you with me...'' He shook his head. ''I'm sorry.''

I was crying harshly by the time he finished speaking and nuzzled his neck gently.

''I'm sorry I worried you, I tried to get away. I told you that I could take care of myself, and I couldn't even defend myself and Misa from a few ninja's.''

Gaara pushed me away gently and shook his head. ''No, Love. I saw what you did to those two men that came to the house. You did good. If it had just been those two, you would have been fine. And you got Misa away from others.''

I shook my head. ''They would have went after her if it wasn't for the fact that they wanted me.''

Gaara nodded. ''Do you know why?''

I frowned. ''The main guy said that he was hired by some important people to get rid of me. He didn't name names.''

Gaara nodded and ran his hand over my hair, before laying us back down and using his sand to turn off the light.

''I want you to come to the office with me tomorrow.''

I frowned. ''Why?''

He sighed. ''Because you can barely even button your own shirt. And what if the people that wanted you gone come back? Can you honestly say that you would be able to stop them?''

I paused and shook my head. ''No. I can't.''

He nodded and kissed my forehead.

''Exactly. So you're coming with me tomorrow.''

I sighed and nodded, rolling myself to lay on top of him, my legs on either side of his. He tried to push me away gently, but I wrapped my good arm around him.

''Don't. This is one of the few ways I can be warm, AND comfortable, and I'll probably roll in the middle of the night anyways.''

He sighed and nodded, wrapping an arm around my lower back.

''Alright, Love. I'll humor you.''

I smiled and laid a kiss to his chest. ''Thank you. I love you.'' He nodded, and stroked my hair gently. ''I love you too. Don't forget that I have to wake you up every two hours.''

I groaned and he kissed my temple.

''Sleep well, Love.''

I smiled and closed my eyes, almost instantly falling asleep.

**I do not own Naruto, or it's characters. Sorry about any errors and thanks for reading. :)**


	47. Chapter 47

I groaned as Gaara woke me up for what felt like the tenth time. I groaned and nuzzled into his chest.

''No. Sleep, Gaara. Sleep.''

I felt his body shake and he shook his head.

''No, Love. We need to get up. I have to go to work and I don't know how long it will take you to get ready.''

I groaned and tried to push myself off of him, only to gasp and fall back against him.

Gaara frowned and moved my hair from my face.

''Are you alright, Love?''

I bit my lip and closed my eyes against the sudden nausea.

''You want the truth?''

I felt him nod and I sighed. ''I feel awful. Like somebody took a sledgehammer to my body.''

Gaara growled, forcing his arms not to tighten around my abused body and I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain coursing through me.

''Okay. Try number two.''

I pushed myself up slowly, gritting my teeth as my injuries throbbed and paused before pushing myself into a sitting position. I took shallow breaths and slid off the bed slowly, Gaara's hands on my hips, steadying me when I was finally standing.

I smiled over my shoulder and took a hesitant step, wobbling slightly. ''I'm gonna take a shower.''

Gaara frowned and stood beside me. ''Can you do that, without getting your bandages wet?''

I frowned and shook my head. ''I guess I won't get under the water. I can take a sponge bath though. I just need my clothes.''

Gaara nodded and I felt him moving away from me. He grabbed the pill bottle from the bedside table and handed a capsule to me.

''Here. Take this.''

I nodded and after taking the pill from his hand, swallowed it.

He nodded and took a step towards the door.

''Don't fall while I'm gone, Love. I'll be right back.''

I nodded and stumbled my way towards the bathroom. A caught myself on the counter as my legs tried to buckle on me and forced myself to stay standing. A moment later I heard Gaara's footsteps making their way to the bathroom and he was suddenly beside me.

''Are you sure about this love?''

I nodded. ''Yeah. I NEED a shower. It will make me feel better.''

He frowned. ''How are you going to wash your hair?''

I frowned and my good shoulder slumped. ''I don't know.''

Gaara frowned and laid a kiss to my temple before using his sand to pull a chair from under the bar over to us. He set me gently on the chair and rubbed my back.

''Hang on, Love.''

I looked at him in surprise as he moved toward the sink,and I frowned as I heard the water running. He came towards meand I felt the wet cloth pulling through my hair.

I pushed back the helpless feelings that I was feeling and gripped the cloth of my pajamas tightly.

''I'm sorry, Gaara.''

He hummed gently. ''Why are you apologizing, Love.''

I swallowed against angry tears. ''I'm being a burden.''

Gaara's hands froze in my hair and he was suddenly in front of me, holding my cheek in his hand. His eyes serious.

''You're not a burden, Love.''

I shook my head and hid my face behind my hair.

''You shouldn't have to wash my hair for me. I should be able to take care of myself. I'm not a child. I shouldn't...''

Gaara cut me off by kissing me gently. He pulled away slowly and shook his head.

''Stop it, Ria. This is NOT your fault. You didn't go out looking for a fight and you shouldn't feel ashamed about needing help.''

He sighed and it was his turn to duck his head.

''After my fight with Naruto, I was really beat up. More so then you are now. And Shukaku was unconscious, so I wasn't healing as fast as I normally would. He stayed asleep for four days and in that time, I couldn't even MOVE without help. It was awful and I understand why you are so upset. But, I love you, Ria. And I would prefer that you ask me for help, rather then injure yourself more, just to keep your pride.''

I nodded and rubbed my nose against his.

''I love you, Gaara. Thank you.''

He nodded and went to fill the sink with warm water and lifted me from the bar stool.

''Do you need help with anything else?''

I shook my head and smiled. ''No. I think I go it.''

He nodded and after a brief kiss, left me alone.

I sighed and began to slowly remove my pajamas, searching through my bag for some simple clothes. I hadn't expected to not have the use of my left arm, so I didn't really pack many button shirts. I grabbed a pair of sweats and pulled out a purple button up shirt.

I laid them out on the counter and turned to grab the wet cloth, dipping it into the warm soapy water.

I frowned as I tried to wring the excess water from the rag, which refused to cooperate. I glared at the offending rag and finally was able to swipe the cloth over my skin without soaking the floor. I finished quickly and shivered as the cold air hit my damp skin. I quickly pulled the plug in the sink and turned to my clothes, trying to hurry into them.

I looked at myself in the mirror when I finally finished buttoning the shirt, and frowned. I looked like a hobo. Sweat pants and button up shirts do not go well together. I shrugged and tried to walk towards the door, finding that my legs were shaking.

I took a deep breath and raised my voice slightly, calling for Gaara. He was through the door instantly and I smiled, wondering if he had been hovering nearby. I held out my arm and he swung me into his arms gently.

''Are you ready to go?''

I nodded and laid my head on his shoulder, noticing that he was in his Kazekage robes, his gourd strapped onto his back, the sand already swirling around us.

''Yeah.''

He held me tighter, and I closed my eyes as the sand surrounded us, transporting us into his office.

I opened my eyes, finding that we had landed by the couch and I sighed, looking around the room.

I groaned suddenly and Gaara looked down at me startled.

''Is everything alright, Love?''

I shook my head and turned to bury my face in his robes.

''I'm hallucinating again.''

He frowned and sat down on the couch, still holding me.

''What are you seeing.''

I bit my lip. ''There are three pink bunnies, with capes and scythes, tying up a unicorn and trying to strap dynamite to it. Oh! The unicorn just kicked the bunnies and the lit dynamite blew up the bunnies. Now the Unicorn is running off towards a green sunset.''

I shook my head and closed my eyes. ''I don't like this. I can't tell what's real and what's not.''

Gaara rested his cheek on my head and rubbed my hip gently.

''I'm real. And you are with me in my office. And you are going to go to sleep and I will still be here when you wake. I was supposed to have a meeting today, but I'll cancel and stay in here. I don't want to leave you alone.''

I nodded, knowing that I couldn't argue with him and win the argument. I didn't really want to be alone anyways.

''Okay. You probably need to start your paperwork.''

He nodded and placed me on the couch, pulling a cover that I had never noticed, from the back of the couch and laid it over me. He stroked my cheek gently for a moment before stepping away and moving towards his desk.

I watched him with blurry eyes, trying to ignore the bunnies that were hopping around the couch. I quickly closed my eyes, preferring the darkness of my closed eyelids to the fake reality that I was seeing.

A few minutes later, I felt the medicine making me drowsy and let it pull me into blackness.

I felt myself waking up and opened my eyes, only to slam them closed again against the bright sunlight.

Gaara's office had huge windows and though nice for having natural light to work by, it wasn't the my favorite thing to wake up too.

I turned my head and looked towards Gaara, who was glaring harshly at a scroll. He sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily, before grabbing a pen and signing the scroll and setting it off to the side.

He picked up another one and this time growled softly, before throwing it behind him and reaching for another.

I laughed softly and his eyes instantly raised to find mine. He smiled softly and placed the scroll back on the desk.

''How are you feeling?''

I frowned, and winced as I tried to shrug.

''A little sore. How long was I asleep?''

He looked at a small clock on his desk and shrugged.

''Around four hours. Time for another pill.''

I groaned and he smiled, before walking towards me. He had a glass of water in one hand and my pill bottle in another. I took both when he reached me and he helped me sit up, flinching as I grimaced.

He sat next to me, as I took the pill and rubbed my hand lightly.

''Whatever is in those pills makes you oblivious. There were multiple ninja's that talked to me today with raised voices. And Kankuro came in carrying Misa, wanting to see how you were doing. He even shook you. You didn't even acknowledge it.''

I sighed. ''Great. I guess that's okay as long as there's no need for me to wake up and move. How is Misa anyways?''

Gaara shrugged. ''Kankuro said that she has a major concussion, a broken leg, three broken ribs, a fractured wrist, a shattered arm and a few broken fingers.

I nodded and he smirked. ''They put her on a more potent form of your medicine.''

I groaned. ''Great. You'll have two girls around that are hallucinating.''

He smiled and shook his head. ''Kankuro said that she's not hallucinating. The medicine just causes her to pass out. He also says that she moves around a lot in her sleep.''

I smiled and shook my head. ''That's just Misa though. She normally rolls on top of the person next to her.''

Gaara smirked. ''You have no room to tease her about that, Love.''

I stuck my tongue out at him. ''I rolled on top of you on purpose. She doesn't mean to.''

He shook his head and kissed my forehead. ''Whatever you say, Love. Are you hungry?''

I shook my head. ''Not at the moment. I think the drugs might cause a lack of appetite.''

He nodded. ''Could be. I didn't read that on the bottle, but then the medication affects people in different ways.''

I nodded and he yawned suddenly, causing me to smile.

''Would you like to take a nap?''

He sighed. ''I can't. I have too much paperwork.''

I forced back my smile and shook my head sadly. ''So the great Kazekage is beat by PAPERWORK?''

He growled and I laughed as he lowered himself onto the couch, pulling me to lay on top of him.

I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me and I tried to move my hand into a more comfortable spot, only to growl in annoyance.

Gaara looked down at me and I frowned. ''You're robe is wrapped around my hand and won't let GO.''

He smirked and plucked my hand from the cloth easily, before placing it on his shoulder. I sighed and nuzzled into his chest.

''Thank you.''

He nodded and I felt his breathing slow, telling me that he had fallen asleep. I smiled, glad that he was sleeping now. He hadn't been for the past few nights.

Since we had discovered Shukaku's presence, he had been tormenting Gaara more and more, and as the full moon approached Gaara became more anxious. This would be the first time in almost a year that Shukaku was strong enough to hurt someone.

The night before I was attacked, Gaara had shot up in bed, holding his face in his hands, his body shaking harshly.

I had woke up as soon as he moved and touched his shoulder gently, feeling the clammy skin. He had calmed down after a moment and lowered his hands before turning to look at me.

''The dreams are getting worse.''

I nodded and pulled on his arm. ''Lay back down, Gaara.''

He shook his head, but I insisted. ''You don't have to sleep. But it's too cold right now for you not to be under the covers.''

He smirked slightly at me and laid back down, pulling the covers over his shoulders and wrapping an arm around my waist.

I sighed and ran my fingers through his hair.

''Do you want to tell me what you dreamed?''

He shrugged and tightened his arm.

''It was about this next full moon. I wasn't used to controlling Shukaku anymore and he took advantage of my carelessness, and took control. He went through the village, killing people and letting the blood rain from the sky. He laughed as the people ran from him, the screams terrified, and the mothers grabbing their children and running towards their homes, thinking they would be safe there.

All that time, I tried to gain control, but I couldn't force my way through. He was too strong. And I had to watch as my own body killed people because someone else was controlling it.

I was terrified. But just when he was about to kill a young girl, I woke up and found myself beside you.'' He sighed. ''Maybe I should stop sleeping again.''

I shook my head. ''No. You don't sleep that much as it is. And you need that sleep now. I think that's why Shukaku is sending you nightmares, is he knows that you're more careless if you're tired. ''

Gaara hesitated for a moment, before nodding. ''You're right. But, I still can't sleep anymore tonight. I'm still a bit shaken.''

I nodded and kissed his shoulder. ''Okay. But that doesn't mean that you can't relax. You'll have to get up soon anyways.''

He nodded and closed his eyes for a moment. ''Yeah. You can sleep though.''

I nodded and snuggled closer to him. ''Yeah. Will you wake me up again if you need me?'' He had nodded and kissed my forehead and I had drifted back to sleep.

I smiled now and touched his cheek gently, holding in a laugh as he instantly leaned towards the touch. I was learning that he enjoyed to be constantly cuddled and touched. He had been an affection deprived child and craved my attention now, because he had never had it before.

I rolled my eyes and closed my eyes. I wasn't used to the constant contact, but I was TRYING to adjust to it. It was a small compromise, that normally I enjoyed.

I snorted as his arms tightened around me in his sleep and I began to listen to his steady breathing before following him into sleep.

**I do not own Naruto, or it's characters. Thanks for reading, I hope that you enjoyed it. Sorry for any errors and thanks for the reviews. I will update again soon.**


	48. Chapter 48

I had been going to work with Gaara for four days before Matsuri discovered that I was there. She had made it a point to stop by every day, if only for a few minutes, but hadn't noticed me until that fourth day.

This day she came smiling through the door, not allowing the secretary to announce her and walked up to Gaara's desk, leaning over it towards him.

I noticed through my foggy brain that she wasn't wearing her normal ninja outfit. Her blue shirt was low cut and showing a large about of cleavage, her tan skirt was short, reaching the middle of her thighs while standing.

Her hair was also not in it's normal windblown state. It was tied back, showing off her face.

I rolled my eyes as I looked her over, knowing that if I was in my right mind I would have been slightly upset at the way she was practically throwing herself at Gaara.

But because the medicine was fogging up my brain I couldn't stop the smile as the bunnies hopped around her feet, laying mouse traps so when she stepped back they would snap at her.

I looked back at her as she spoke and saw Gaara's glare.

''Kazekage-Sensei, I've decided that we are going to have lunch together today.''

She lifted a basket that I hadn't noticed before and placed it on the desk, covering a paper that he had been reaching for. He growled and I saw Matsuri flinch slightly before she squared shoulders and forced a smile.

''C'mon...Gaara...''

I saw Gaara's eyes widen and he was standing slowly, gold flashing in his eyes. Even through my drug induced fog I knew that look and coughed lightly, drawing both his and Matsuri's attention.

Matsuri's eyes widened and her face heated in a blush. I smiled, trying to give Gaara time to compose himself.

''Hello, Matsuri. How are you today?''

She frowned but after a look at Gaara, inclined her head slightly.

''Fine, thank you. I was just asking the Kazekage to lunch.''

I nodded and after a brief smile towards Gaara, waved a hand at her.

''Go ahead. I'm going back to sleep. Just avoid stepping back because of the mouse traps at your feet. And ignore the Unicorn. He'll try to eat your food...especially if it's chocolate.''

I saw her shoot a startled glance at Gaara and he shrugged.

''She's on medication right now. It makes her a little delusional.''

I giggled. ''A little?''

His lips twitched as he hid a smile and Matsuri shot me a seething look.

''Maybe we should leave the tower to eat lunch?''

Gaara shook his head. ''I can't leave Ria alone.''

I frowned at him and Matsuri threw a glare at me. Gaara crossed his arms and she sighed.

''Fine. We'll eat here.''

She began to pull containers out of her basket and Gaara returned to his chair, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

Matsuri handed him a bento box and I saw Gaara sneer at it slightly before taking the chopsticks that she offered. He took a hesitant bite before pulling a scroll towards him, looking over it while he ate.

Matsuri bit her lip before grabbing her own bento box and sitting on the desk, next to Gaara's chair. He shot a glare at her but she ignored him, trying to start a conversation.

Gaara 'hmned' ever so often and Matsuri finally gave up, eating her meal silently. Gaara barely finished a quarter of the bento and I saw him hand it back to Matsuri, who looked down at it sorrowfully.

''Did you not like it?''

Gaara paused a moment before shrugging.

''I have never really cared for bento.''

Matsuri bit her lip and nodded. Everything that Gaara told her was hurting her more and more. It was hard to watch and listen too.

Matsuri packed everything away and stood next to Gaara's chair, biting her lip. Gaara didn't even look at her as he spoke.

''I have had lunch with you Matsuri. I now hope that you have that little fantasy out of your system and will never ask me again.''

He looked up at her with cold eyes. And even though Matsuri didn't flinch, I did. I did NOT want to listen to this. But I couldn't really get up and leave.

Matsuri's hands clenched and she held his gaze as he continued.

''And do not EVER refer to me without my title again. You are my subordinate. A ninja that I once taught for a short time. I'm not even sure how you came to the conclusion that I cared for you in this way.

I have never treated you any different then the other ninja's.''

Her eyes had filled with tears and I saw her nod, not letting the tears fall.

''I understand Kazekage-sensei. I apologize for inconveniencing you today.''

Gaara nodded and signed his name to another scroll before handing it to her. She took it numbly.

''That is the next assignment for you and your team. Please give that scroll to your sensei.'' She nodded and I closed my eyes, pretending to sleep as she walked past. There was no need to embarrass her more by letting her know that I was awake.

Once the door slammed I opened my eyes again, jumping as I found Gaara leaning over me.

I sat up slowly and he knelt in front of me, locking gazes with me.

''You didn't like the ways that I treated Matsuri.''

I bit my lip before nodding. It wasn't a question but I felt like he wanted me to respond anyways.

''I thought that it was a bit harsh. But you are her Kazekage and it wasn't my place to contradict you.''

He nodded, a frown on his face.

''I had to be harsh with her. I've tried to let her down easy before, but she doesn't seem to understand that. I finally hit my breaking point today.''

I nodded and leaned forward to rest my forehead against his.

''I know. I saw your eyes flash gold. That's why I talked to her.''

He sighed and lowered himself to rest his cheek on my thigh, looking up at me.

''Thank you. For stepping in. With the way I've been recently, I have no doubt that I would have taken my stress and aggravation out on her.''

I moved my hand, running my fingers through his hair.

''It's alright, Hon. Nothing happened. And I'm sure that Mitsuri gets your point now. You were pretty clear about what you thought about her today.''

He closed his eyes and hummed softly.

''I hope so. If she continues trying to convince me that I love her, I'm going to have to reasign her to another village and I don't want to do that.''

I nodded and leaned back against the couch, grimacing as my hurt ribs protested against the movement.

Gaara opened his eyes and pulled my pill bottle from his robes, handing a capsule to me.

''Take your pill Love, and then I want you to eat some of the fruit that we brought.''

I nodded and swallowed the pill quickly.

''I hate taking those things. At least I'm getting better at moving and I was able to take an actual shower this morning, since the doctors let me take the bandages off.''

Gaara nodded and leaned to the side, grabbing the small bag that laid beside the couch. He took out a container and handed them and a pair of chopsticks to me.

''Here, Love. These are pears.''

I smiled and began to eat the fruit, glad that a can of them had been lying around his house.

I sighed as I finished the pears and threw the empty container back into the bag, laying down again.

Gaara stared at me from his place on the floor and reached a hand to cup my cheek.

''How are you feeling?''

I shrugged my good shoulder.

''Fine, I guess. I hurt a bit, but the medicine is keeping me pretty numb for the most part.''

He pouted and I tugged on his wrist, pulling him closer to me and laying a kiss to his mouth. He sighed and moved on to his knees, his hand landing on my side. I gasped harshly and he pulled away instantly, a guilty expression on his face.

''I'm sorry.''

I shook my head. ''Don't worry about it. I miss kissing you. I haven't really been able to.'' He nodded and laid a kiss to my forehead.

''I know. But you're hurt and I get a bit too carried away when we start.''

I smiled and squeezed his hand.

''I like it when you get carried away though.''

He smiled and laid a kiss to my wrist.

''I'm gonna go do some more paperwork before I have to go to another meeting.''

I yawned and nodded. ''Okay, Gaara. Don't kill anyone.''

He smiled and stood up, walking back to his desk. I watched him sort through the papers for a moment before closing my eyes and falling asleep.

**I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. Thanks for ready, hope you enjoyed it. And sorry about any mistakes.**


	49. Chapter 49

**I don't own Naruto or any of those characters. Sorry for any mistakes and I hope that you enjoy the story. :)**

A week after my encounter with Matsuri and I was able to move my left arm and had my stitches removed. My ribs would still ache if I moved the wrong way, but every other day of having the nurse use a healing jutsu sped up the healing process.

Gaara was still making me go to work with him but I hadn't argued as of yet, even though I had stopped taking the medication and Temari had finally gotten back from Kanoha.

I had accepted that he liked having me with him and that I still couldn't protect myself completely. Plus I became tired rather quickly.

But on this day, I was a little irritated with him, more because I knew that he was keeping something from me than anything else

I looked at him from where I was sitting on the couch and glared as he ruffled through some papers. He glanced up at me, only to return his gaze to the scroll in front of him quickly.

I growled and stalked towards his desk, slamming my hands down on the wood across from him.

His head snapped up to look at me and I leaned towards him ignoring the twinge in my left arm and ribs.

''I'm sick of this whole keeping me out of the loop thing, Gaara. Whatever is going on, you need to tell me because I'm getting really tired of your run around. Tell me what is bothering you.''

He frowned and reached for another scroll, which I grabbed before his hand could touch it.

''I'm serious, Gaara. Something has been bothering you for at LEAST five days, and you have been avoiding me.''

He frowned. ''I'm with you everyday, Ria. And I talk to you every time I get a chance.''

I nodded. ''You talk, but you don't really SAY anything.''

I walked to his side and sat on the edge of the desk.

''So spill, sweetheart. What the hell are you so concerned about telling me, that you've pulled yourself into a shell and refuse to share with me?''

He frowned at me and I crossed my arms, refusing to back down. He glared at me for a few minutes, before pushing away from the desk and going to look out the window, his arms behind his back.

''Do you REALLY want to know what I'm upset about?''

I nodded before realizing that he couldn't see me.

''Yeah.''

He took a deep breath before turning back to me, his eyes harsh.

''I found out who hired the men to kidnap you.''

I nodded encouraging him silently to continue.

''It took longer then I thought, to get the information out of the men. But we did FINALLY get one of them to crack.''

He growled. ''It was one of the council members. I don't know which one, because none of the men we captured knows his name and the one that held you captive was found dead in his cell two days ago. He was the only one who could identify which council member it was.

So now, I have no way of knowing who I should be wary of, or if I should even let you out of my sight. Even with Temari home. The council holds so much sway over the village that even if I DID know who it was, I'm not sure what I could do about it.''

He sighed and his shoulders slumped.

''And I know that if I DO find out that I may not be able to control myself and Shukaku might take over.''

I sighed and tilted my head.

''Come here, Gaara.''

He hesitated a moment before walking towards me and stopped in front of me. I rolled my eyes and clutched at his robe, pulling him between my knees. His hands found their way to my hips and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

''And you couldn't tell me this, why?''

He shrugged.

''I don't really know. I thought that you might argue with me about being able to take care of yourself, or maybe you would confront the council members...''

He broke off and shook his head.

''I really don't know. Maybe it was because I'm so used to keeping these type of issues to myself. ''

I sighed and laid a kiss to his jaw.

''You made me promise to tell you when I fear something, will you not promise me the same? I may not be able to help much, but I CAN be there to listen. And sometimes that will make you feel better in itself.''

He closed his eyes and sighed.

''I can try. I can't promise that I won't try to fix things on my own, but I know how I feel when you shut me out like I did to you this week. I'm sorry that I did.''

I smiled and kissed his mouth softly.

''It's alright. Is there anything else that I need to know?''

He paused before nodding.

He returned to his chair and pulled me to sit on his lap, my legs straddling his hips. ''When Temari got back she gave me a scroll from the Hokage. Apparently, Sasuke and Sakura are getting married, and we're invited to the wedding.''

I frowned. ''So we're going to a wedding? When?''

Gaara sighed and leaned back against the chair.

''If we go we have to leave tomorrow morning.''

My mouth dropped open. ''Seriously? Are we NOT going?''

He shrugged. ''I'd rather not, but I think that we have too. Temari let it slip to Naruto that you were here and I think that if we DON'T go, he might come to Suna, and drag you to Kanoha.''

I laughed and nodded. ''Maybe. And you need to go anyways. Especially if the invitation was sent by the Hokage. You don't want to offend her by not going.''

He sighed and shook his head. ''I've never really cared about offending the leaf village, but I suppose that we should attend the Uchiha's wedding.''

I tousled his hair gently. ''It will give you a break from stress and paperwork anyways.'' He nodded and pulled me to rest against his chest, his arms tight around me.

''Yeah. I need a break.''

I nodded and hid a yawn, snuggling into his chest.

He began to stroke my hair and I smiled. ''If you keep doing that, then I'll fall asleep.''

He nodded. ''Good. I want to hold you for a bit.''

I frowned. ''Can you work while you're holding me like this?''

He shrugged. ''I don't really care. You need to rest to recover fully and I need to hold you, to calm myself down.''

I sighed and relaxed against him.

''Alright, Hon. I guess I'll take my nap here then.''

He nodded and rested his cheek against my hair.

''I love you, Ria. Never forget that.''

I rolled my eyes and kissed his neck, smirking as his breath caught.

''I love you too, Gaara. Wake me up if you need to move, okay?''

He nodded and tightened his arms as I drifted off.


	50. Chapter 50

When we returned to the house, we found that Temari wanted to leave that night. She was harassing Kankuro, wanting him to pack quickly and turned to Gaara and I when she noticed our presence.

''You two need to go pack too. I want to be in Kanoha by tomorrow.''

Gaara frowned at her and she waved a dismissive hand at us.

''Go!''

I rolled my eyes and pulled Gaara towards the stairs, smiling at Butterball who followed us slowly.

Temari had taken Butterball to Kanoha, and I was glad that I hadn't had to worry about him when I was recovering.

When we entered the bedroom, I instantly went to dump my bag on the bed, going through the clothes, trying to find a suitable outfit for the wedding.

I sighed and shook my head, packing a few regular outfits and pajamas into the bag.

''I hope that they don't mind me wearing jeans to the wedding.''

Gaara walked towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist gently, looking at the pile of clothes, his chin resting on my shoulder.

''You should have brought that outfit you wore to Aubry's. I liked it.''

I smiled and rolled my eyes.

''I know you did. But it still wouldn't help me with my issue of having nothing appropriate for a wedding.''

He nodded, and moved his hand to where a flash of red cloth had grabbed his attention.

He plucked it from the pile of clothes, looking at it a moment, before dropping it instantly with a startled noise.

I laughed and he hesitantly picked up the bra again, his arm that was still around me tightening slightly.

''You should wear this. I like the color.''

I smiled. ''I DO wear that, Gaara. I like the color too, that's why I bought it. But I don't think that Sakura will appreciate me showing off my undergarments at her wedding. So I need a fancy shirt to go over it.''

He sighed and threw the bra into the bag.

''That's not what I meant.''

I smiled and pulled the bra from the bag, laying it to the side before putting another shirt into the bag. I felt Gaara frown against my neck and he put the bra back into the bag.

I sighed. ''I'm not taking that Gaara.''

I reached to pull it out of the bag again, but he caught my hand and turned me to look at him.

''Why not?''

I felt myself blush slightly and shook my head.

''Because if I take it, you'll be wondering all the time if I was wearing it.''

He smirked and placed his hands on my hips, pulling me closer.

''And the problem with that is?''

I sighed. ''Because I would prefer to not know that you're thinking about what I'm wearing under my shirts.''

He nodded and tightened his hands. ''Fine. I won't tell you when I'm thinking about what bra you're wearing.''

I bit my lip. That bra WAS one of my favorites...

He lowered his head and dropped his voice to a mummer.

''Either you pack the bra willingly, or I sneak it into your bag before we leave. Either way, it's still going with us.''

I rolled, my eyes. ''Fine. I'll take it. But you need to stop talking so much to Kankuro. His pervertedness is rubbing off on you.''

He gave me a crooked grin and captured my lips, his hands at my hips, pulling me tighter to his body. I sighed and was beginning to wrap my arms around him when a voice from the doorway caused me to pull away, and find Temari.

''Aw! My baby brother is growing up so fast. I remember when he didn't even like girls...'' She frowned. ''But, he didn't like anyone so...''

She shook her head and Gaara glared at her.

''What do you want Temari? We're busy.''

She laughed and walked further into the room, a rectangular box in her arms.

''I bought something for Ria in Kanoha, and I thought that now would be a good time to give it to her.''

She held out the box to me and I moved from Gaara's arms, taking the box from her, my eyes wide. I opened it slowly and gasped as I saw the dress that was folded inside.

I threw the box onto the bed and unfolded the dress, holding it up to me, and cooing softly.

''Oh. It's beautiful Temari, thank you. I didn't know what I was going to wear for the wedding and this will work perfect.''

She smiled and nodded.

''I figured that you, and Misa hadn't brought any fancy clothes, and I couldn't allow you two to arrive at the wedding without proper clothing. What kind of girl would I be.''

I laughed and she placed a hand on my shoulder.

''Go try on the dress. I want to see how it fits.''

I nodded and hurried to the bathroom.

As soon as the door closed I began to pull off my clothes and stepping into the emerald dress.

It was a halter top, the thick, silk like ribbons tying behind my neck. The front had a V neck, showing off some cleavage and the back was lower than I would normally wear, though it only came to below my shoulder blades. The top was formfitting, but it flared out into a full skirt at the hips. The hem stopped just above my knees.

I smiled as I looked into the mirror, ignoring my discolored skin, and spun, letting the skirt fly around me. I giggled and noticed the zipper in the back. I grimaced as I tried to reach it, my left shoulder and arm protesting.

I gave up after a minute and went to the door, finding Gaara shooting a glare at his sister, who appeared to be ignoring him.

''Hey, Temari? Can you come help me real quick. There's a zipper.''

She nodded and squeezed through the bathroom door, looking me over and squealing loudly.

''You look wonderful! Turn around so I can get to the zipper.''

I did so and smiled as the zipper slid up easily.

Temari had me spin slowly and clapped her hands, delightedly.

''Seriously, Ria. Who would have thought that you had an amazing body. You always cover it up with those baggy clothes.''

I rolled my eyes and she hugged me suddenly.

''I left shoes for you on the bed. Try not to wrinkle the dress when you pack it.''

I nodded and she grinned at me before strolling out of the bathroom. I shook my head and turned towards the mirrors, looking at my reflection. The dress hid most of the bruises my body sported, and the ones on my face were light enough that I could use makeup to hide the ones there.

I smiled as I saw Gaara peek through the cracked door and giggled as he stepped fully into the room, only to stop again, his eyes widening.

I twirled, letting the dress flare up and showing off a bit more of my legs before stopping to face him.

''So? What do you think?''

His eyes raked over me and he swallowed hard.

''Um. You look...not like yourself.''

I bit my lip. ''Is that a good or a bad thing?''

He blinked hard and shook his head.

''Good. Definitely, good. You look amazing.''

I put my hands on my hips and gave him a teasing frown. ''And I don't normally look amazing?''

His eyes looked over me again, this time his eyes lingering hotly and I felt myself shiver as he replaced my hands that had fallen from my hips, with his.

''You don't normally look like THIS.''

His eyes finally made their way back to mine and I drew in a ragged breath as I saw the heat there. His eyes held a small hint of gold and as I opened my mouth to tell him, he crashed his mouth to mine, his lips moving roughly.

His hands skimmed across my back lightly and I gasped suddenly as he pinned me against the counter.

His lips left me after a minute, beginning to trail down the front of my neck, following the line of the ribbons.

I closed my eyes briefly, pulling his mouth back up to mine, kissing him briefly, before slipping from his arms.

''I...I need to change.''

My voice was rough and I swallowed hard. Gaara made a move towards me before shaking his head and nodding.

''Yeah. I...I'll be in the bedroom.''

I nodded and watched as he walked quickly from the room. I sighed as the door closed behind him and leaned against the counter, trying to calm my frantically beating heart.

Well...I guess that was one way for him to get rid of his stress. I giggled suddenly and covered my mouth quickly not wanting Gaara to hear me.

I changed out of the dress carefully, folding it and pulling on my other clothes. I grabbed all of my night things from the bathroom and walked into the bedroom, finding Gaara lying on the bed, a bag by the door next to his gourd.

I smiled and finished packing, setting my bag next to his before throwing myself to lay on top of him, ignoring the shot of pain that went through my body.

His eyes shot open and his arms wrapped around me, keeping me from sliding off of him. I smiled and tapped his nose.

''Surprised ya.''

He smiled and nodded, tightening his arms briefly.

''You did. But now you're in my arms and I'm not letting you go. I'm going to hold you until Temari comes to yell that it's time to go. I'm not looking forward to sharing you.''

I smiled and shook my head. ''You shouldn't have to share me that much. Naruto will be with Hinata.''

Gaara shrugged. ''We'll see. But I'm still gonna hold you until we have to leave.''

I nodded and snuggled into him. ''That's fine.''

He smiled and closed his eyes, waiting for the other to get ready to leave.


	51. Chapter 51

It wasn't more then fifteen minutes before Temari came crashing through the door and threw a harsh look at us.

''What are you two doing, lying in bed? We have to go or we won't make it to Kanoha by tomorrow.''

Gaara glared at her and I sighed, letting her continue her rant.

''Are you two even packed?''

I nodded and pointed to the floor where she stood.

''Our bags are right there.''

She looked down before nodding. ''Let's go then.''

I sighed and crawled off of Gaara slowly, trying to avoid causing the sharp pains that would sometimes still hit me if I moved too fast.

Once Gaara and I were walking towards the door, Temari picked up Butterball and shoved our bags into our arms harshly, causing my left arm to twinge. I winced, and Gaara, who was watching me closely, growled.

Temari glanced at him and I laid a hand on his arm, keeping him from moving closer to her like he wanted.

He took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly.

''Ria is still hurt Temari. Not as bad as she was, but reckless movements, like you shoving a bag into her chest and arms, causes her pain.''

Temari's eyes widened and she bit her lip.

''Oh. I...I'm sorry, Ria. You and Misa just act like nothing is wrong with you that I forget that you're still healing.''

I smiled and slung my bag onto my right shoulder.

''It's fine, Temari. Let's go.''

She nodded and we followed her downstairs, Gaara taking my hand and clutching it tightly. Kankuro, and Misa were standing by the door, bags swung over their shoulders.

Misa grinned as soon as she saw us, and Temari led us all outside, and towards the Suna gates.

Once safely closed outside of it Temari stopped us, and looked at her brothers.

''If we hope to get to Kanoha by tomorrow, you two will need to carry the girls. They aren't ninja's and can't move as quickly as us. I'll carry Butterball.''

I looked at Misa and we both sneered at the mention of our lack of ninja ability. A moment later, we were scooped up into strong arms and I frowned up at Gaara, who kissed the tip of my nose.

''It's better this way, Love.''

I sighed, knowing that he was right and situated my bag in front of me, leaning against him.

I wasn't aware of how fast ninja's actually moved, and I watched the ground and scenery pass by quickly, my eyes closing against the gritty sand that blew into my face.

We didn't stop for breaks very often and I wondered how they kept moving running without pausing. I asked Gaara about it once, succeeding of getting a mouthful of sand, Gaara laughing at me silently.

He lowered his face and spoke with his mouth close to my ear, preventing the sand from getting to him.

''We're pacing ourselves. This isn't as fast as we CAN go. But we can go at this pace for hours before we require a stop.''

I nodded and turned my head, my lips brushing his jaw and feeling something gritty. I pulled away with a confused look and he smiled halfheartedly.

''It's a sand shield that I place over my skin when I travel.''

I bit my lip and lifted a hand to touch his cheek, feeling the hard sand that kept me from touching skin.

''I...I don't think I like it.''

He nodded and tightened his arms slightly as the wind picked up, kicking up more sand.

I sighed and buried my face in Gaara's shoulder, knowing that I couldn't speak to him until the sand became still again.

A while later, the sand gave way to hard dirt and rock. Soon after that, we became surrounded by trees. I looked around curiously, unaware until that moment how much I had missed trees.

The sun was rising when we finally reached the Kanoha gates and I wiggled until Gaara placed me on my feet, Kankuro doing the same with Misa.

Two ninja's stood guard at the gate, smiling hugely when they saw Temari and bowing in respect as they noticed Gaara.

They had a hushed conversation with Temari, glancing rapidly between Misa and I before opening the gates and allowing us through.

Gaara had grabbed my hand as soon as my feet touched the ground and now led me into Kanoha, his fingers linked through mine.

I looked at Misa and found her skipping in front of Kankuro, her head moving rapidly, trying to memories every little detail. Kankuro was watching her closely, making sure that she didn't move out of reaching distance. Ever so often he would reach out and slow her pace, tugging lightly at her hair.

I smiled and began to look around myself, sighing in relief as I looked around the empty streets.

Kanoha was much different then Suna. The buildings were painted bright colors, the food stalls sporting bright signs, encouraging people to come inside and eat.

The road we walked on was well packed dir, and all of the outer walls were surrounded by trees.

My gaze drifted back to Gaara, finding his eyes on me.

I smiled and squeezed his hand, pulling a small smirk from him. He turned back to watch were he was walking and frowned suddenly.

''Temari, where are we going?''

Temari's shoulders tensed and she didn't look at him when she answered.

''We are supposed to stay at the Uchiha compound.''

Gaara came to an abrupt stop, a glare on his face. I paused beside him and his hand tightened uncomfortably.

''And why exactly, are we having to stay at the Uchiha compound, Temari?''

His sister took a deep breath before turning to look at him, clasping a sleeping Butterball to her tightly.

''Because the Hokage invited so many people that the hotel is filled. Sakura realized this, and decided that certain people could stay in the compound, so more could come to the wedding and not have to worry about where to sleep.''

Gaara snarled and Kankuro broke in with a nervous laugh.

''It shouldn't be that bad, Gaara. At least this way we can avoid most of the Leaf villagers.''

Gaara sighed and waved a hand at Temari.

''Lead on, then.''

Temari nodded and I frowned.

''Wasn't the entire Uchiha clan murdered in the compound?''

Gaara nodded, and I shuddered.

''Great.''

He glanced at me, a smirk on his face.

''Don't tell me that you're superstitious, Ria?''

I narrowed my eyes, and shrugged. ''I don't like to stay in places that people have died. Especially when they where killed as violently as I know these people were. Certain things linger after something like that.''

Gaara smirked evilly and I glared at him. ''Don't you DARE think about scaring me tonight.''

He gave me an innocent expression and I pouted at him, a slight whine in my voice.

''I'm serious, Gaara!''

He shrugged and I huffed, pulling my hand out of his and crossing my arms. He rolled his eyes, and wrapped one of his arms around my waist, pulling me into his side.

I tried to pull away from him, only to have him tighten his arm and smirk at me.

''The villagers will start to come out of their homes soon. Do you really not want me to hold onto you, when they surround us?''

My eyes widened and I pouted.

''You're such a jerk sometimes.''

He turned wide eyes towards me, his smirk still in place.

''Anything to keep you huddled next to me, Love.''

I stuck my tongue out at him and he grinned before Temari came to an abrupt stop. I looked at her and found another wall and an archway leading into what looked like an entirely different village.

The dirt road wasn't well walked, the houses were in disrepair, and some of the shutters even blew open and closed in the wind.

All in all it looked like a typical ghost town. A place that I really didn't want to stay the night in.

Gaara looked at me and I moved closer to his side, a shiver running up my spine. A memory of another abandoned compound came to mind and I took a deep breath shoving it back behind a door and locking it tightly, glad that Salem couldn't see this.

Gaara frowned slightly and pulled me forward to follow Temari through the archway. I went numbly, hearing the wind sweeping through the abandoned houses, sounding like pain filled moans.

I clenched my hands, forcing myself to move forward and ignore the strange feelings of paranoia.

I wasn't sure how I was going to stay in this place, but tried to shove that thought away as we stopped in front of a large house.

Temari raised a hand to knock on the door frame, setting Butterball on the ground. He instantly ambled over to me and I picked him up, comforted by the warm furball.

Temari glanced back at me, a smile on her face, before knocking again, this time louder.

We heard a movement inside and a moment later the door slid open, a tired Sakura looking at us.

''Oh, hi. I wasn't expecting you guys until this afternoon.''

Kankuro shot a glare at Temari, who shrugged.

''I was anxious to get away early. If we hadn't, Gaara might have not been able to get away.''

Sakura nodded, yawning hugely and stepped away, motioning us to follow her. Which we did slowly. Sakura stopped in what looked like a living room and turned to us with a small smile.

''I found rooms for all of you in the main house. I didn't think that you would want to stay in one of the others.''

Misa shook her head quickly and I was thankful for small favors. I didn't get the same awful feelings in this house as I did from the others.

Temari sighed and lifted her bag higher on her shoulder.

''Would you mind showing us where we can put our bags. I have somewhere that I need to be.''

Sakura frowned at the rude tone and I watched Kankuro fidget nervously, the two girls staring the other down.

A minute later I heard footsteps and got my first look at Sasuke Uchiha.

His black hair had a blue tint to it and was spiked in the back. His face was pale and his mouth seemed to be in a permanent frown.

He looked us over and I saw the usual, Uchiha eyes pass over me. They were black at the moment, though I knew from the stories that I had heard that he could use the Sharingan.

As his eyes turned back to Sakura I saw that his eyes lighted slightly, but retained their aloofness. Besides that small light for Sakura there was no other emotion that I could find. Unlike his brother that had an almost constant look of amusement, Sasuke Uchiha's eyes were cold and distant.

Temari sighed in irritation, but before she could say anything, Misa squealed loudly and I turned to see her running towards two people who had just entered the room from another door.

I smiled as Mona was tackled in a hug. Misa pulling her away from an irritated looking Sai.

Mona patted Misa's back awkwardly and I grinned as she looked over at me.

She frowned at me for a moment before pushing Misa away from her.

Mona's frown deepened and she dragged Misa over to where I stood, her eyes raking over my face.

''Alright. What exactly happened to you two?''

She sent a glare toward Kankuro and crossed her arms.

''Both of you are COVERED in bruises.''

I nodded and Misa giggled as Mona glared at Kankuro.

''It's not his fault, Mona. Some ninja's attacked us.''

Mona frowned and looked at me. ''Some ninja's?''

I nodded. ''We didn't know who they were. Still don't for the most part.''

I grinned. ''But, Misa and I kicked the ones that hurt us butt's.''

Mona grinned and nodded. ''Good.''

Sakura cleared her throat harshly and I winced at the noise, turning my attention to her. Sasuke was glaring at us and Sakura had her hands on her hips.

''If you don't mind, it is still extremely early and I would like some more sleep before I have to go check on the wedding preparations.''

I saw Temari's eyes narrow and her hand tightened on the straps of her bag. I could tell that she was getting angry and it was Kankuro's voice that answered Sakura.

''Thank you. It was a long journey and we would all like to rest I think.''

Sakura nodded and led us out the door Mona had come from, waving a hand towards the hallway lined with doors.

''You can pick whatever room you like. Sasuke's, and my room is on the other side of the house.''

Kankuro nodded and thanked her. She nodded and quickly left, leaving us to find our rooms.

Temari sighed and looked at Mona. ''Where is your room?''

Mona pointed to an open door halfway down the hall on the left.

''There. Though I haven't been there much, since Sai lives in Kanoha.''

Temari nodded and went to the door closest to her.

''I think that I'll take this room. I won't be here often either. ''

Misa looked into one of the rooms and cooed gently.

''I like this room.''

Kankuro nodded and followed her to the door before turning towards Gaara and I.

''Which room do you want Gaara?''

He shrugged and went to the room furthest away from everyone else, pushing open the door, before turning back to Kankuro.

''This one.''

Kankuro nodded and closed the door to his own room. Gaara looked at me and smiled. ''Are you coming to see our room, Love? I really don't want to leave you in the hallway with all of those ghosts.''

My eyes widened and I hurried to him.

He grinned and took Butterball, setting him on the floor and tugging me into the room, closing the door quickly.

As soon as the door clicked shut, he pulled me to him and sighed.

''I wish we didn't have to stay here.''

I frowned. ''Does Temari not like Sakura? ''

Gaara shook his head. '' Or Sasuke. She thinks that Sakura is an obsessed fangirl and that Sasuke is a self centered, idiot. When we joined Naruto to search for him, I not only had to order Temari to go with us, but THREATEN her as well. Even then, she still hesitated.''

His eyes narrowed. ''Truthfully, I'm not to fond of Sasuke myself.''

I laughed and snuggled against him, feeling the sand that covered his shirt. I pulled back and wrinkled my nose.

''I need a shower. So do you by the way.''

He nodded. ''You can take one first. As long as you're sure you won't fall asleep standing up.''

I rolled my eyes. ''I think I'll be alright. You did all the work getting us here.''

He nodded and began to pull off his gourd and coat. He pulled off his black shirt and I watched as sand fell from it and his skin.

I frowned and touched his shoulder gently, feeling the sand armor that still covered his skin.

''Are you going to get rid of this?''

He paused before doing a hand sign and the sand left his skin, returning to the gourd. I smiled as I was able to now touch his skin and laid a kiss to his chest before retrieving a pair of clean clothes and shower things from my bag.

''I'm going to take my shower now. Will you be alright in here by yourself?''

He smirked and nodded.

''Yes, Love. I'm not terrified of these type of places like you are.''

I nodded and moved towards the sliding door that led to the bedrooms adjoined bathroom. Leaving Gaara and Butterball alone in the room.

**I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters. I hope that you enjoyed the story, review if you want, it makes me smile. Please ignore any mistakes. Thanks! :)**


	52. Chapter 52

I winced as Temari pulled a brush through my hair harshly. It was the day of the wedding and none of us had realized just how early in the morning it would occur. It was supposed to start at 8:00 in the morning and we hadn't found out until 10:00 the night before.

Temari was complaining about Sakura's lack of information and I think that she was taking her frustration out on my hair.

She finally got through brushing the mass and began to curl it, styling it by pinning half of it up, a few tendrils falling into my face.

When she finished with my hair, she began on Misa's, curling it quickly and pinning the sides back, but leaving the rest to trail down her back.''

I sat on Temari's bed, Butterball next to me, looking at the two girls outfits.

Temari had bought Misa a sky blue cocktail dress with capped sleeves and a squared neckline. It had a sparkling silver sash under the bust, that tied in a bow at the back. The hem came to her lower thighs.

Her silver high heels sparkled in the light as she moved and caught my attention regularly.

I turned my attention to Temari and shook my head at how different her dress was compared to what I normally saw her in.

Her dress was a dark purple, held up by spaghetti straps. It was cut in a low V neck and hugged her body until mid thigh where it flared out to her knees.

She had decided to leave her hair the way it usually was, saying that we didn't have time to deal with that mess.

She finished Misa and my looks by adding makeup to our faces.

She then put us in front of the mirror and I blinked at the face that stared back at me. I didn't look like my normal self. And though it wasn't something that I wanted to do on a regular basis, I did enjoy this chance to dress up.

I was startled from my thoughts by a banging on the door and rolled my eyes as Kankuro's voice followed another harsh knock.

''C'mon Temari! You're spending more time with my girlfriend then I am. Hurry up!'' Temari rolled her eyes and Misa giggled before running to open the door. Kankuro's eyes skimmed over her slowly and he smirked.

''You look good, Misa.''

Misa nodded and grabbed his hand, smiling at us over her shoulder.

''I'm gonna go spend time with Kankuro now.''

Temari nodded and picked up Butterball.

''Fine. But don't let him ruin your dress or hair.''

Misa nodded and I followed Temari to the door, preparing to return to my own room.

She touched my shoulder, smiling at me when I turned back to her.

''I'm going over to Shikamaru's. Do you care if I take Butterball?''

I smiled and shook my head.

''No. Go ahead. Thank you for helping me today.''

She grinned and nodded. ''Of course. What else are future-sister-in laws good for.''

I groaned and she held up a hand before I could speak.

''Don't contradict me. I know things.''

My mouth dropped open as she suddenly sounded like Salem and she turned to walk away, waving at me over her shoulder. I shook my head and walked towards my room. Maybe it was just an older sibling thing.

I opened the door of the room, finding Gaara lying on the bed, his eyes closed and his breathing steady.

He had left before dawn, the Hokage wanting to speak with him privately and had still been gone when Misa and Temari woke me up, by jumping on top of me.

I closed the door quietly and Gaara spoke without opening his eyes.

''You were gone when I got back.''

I slipped out of my green, strappy shoes and crawled into the bed beside him, careful not to wrinkle my dress.

''Yeah. Your sister wanted me to be her barbie for the day.''

He opened his eyes and I saw them spark as they trailed over me before he sat up and pulled me onto his lap, his fingers twirling in my loose hair.

''You look lovely, Ria.''

I smiled and kissed him quickly, smiling as the lip gloss remained on his mouth.

''So how did your meeting go?''

He shrugged and nuzzled his nose into my neck.

''Fine, I guess. She gave me more paperwork.''

I rolled my eyes. ''Stupid paperwork.''

He made an agreeing noise and kissed across my shoulder, one of his hands running over my back.

''I'll have to thank Temari for taking such good care of you and buying you such a great dress.''

I hummed lightly and yelped suddenly as he bit the curve of my shoulder, hard.

''Gaara!''

He smirked against my skin and licked at the bite, his mouth not leaving my skin as he spoke.

''You shouldn't have worn this dress if you didn't want me touching and kissing at the exposed skin.''

I rolled my eyes and he began to pepper kisses across my back.

''One: I didn't have a choice about what to wear and two: I don't care if you kiss me, but could you not leave mark until AFTER the wedding?''

He paused a second, his lips on my shoulder blade. He sighed and pulled away, caressing the mark on my shoulder.

''I suppose that it wouldn't be the best thing for the Kazekage's girlfriend to show up with marks on her skin. People might think that I'm hurting you.''

I laughed and shook my head.

''Unfortunately, Gaara, most of the people we see today would know what the marks are from. They aren't as innocent as you.''

He frowned. ''Ria, Love. I am NOT innocent.''

I raised an eyebrow at his statement. ''You are VERY innocent, Honey.''

He sighed and shook his head. ''I have killed people, just to see their blood fall and entertain me. I wouldn't call that anything close to innocent.''

I shook my head quickly. ''That's not what I meant. I know that you have killed people. But you have no experience on how to react to love and the things that go with it.''

I saw comprehension light his eyes and he nodded.

''Oh. You're right. I'm understanding more every day though and I think that in a few years I might have it all figured out.''

I laughed and laid a kiss to his neck. Leaving a shiny mark.

''People spend their entire life trying to understand love and you think that you can understand it in a few years.'' I shook my head. ''You're so arrogant.''

He laughed silently at my teasing and shook his head. ''So how do you rationalize the things lovers do?''

I shrugged. ''I don't. I just go with whatever happens.''

He smirked suddenly. ''Whatever happens, huh?''

I stared at him a moment, not comprehending what he was saying until I caught the look in his eyes. I groaned and brought my palm to my forehead.

''What has Kankuro DONE to you? You're normally not perverted.''

He smiled evilly and shook his head. ''It's not my brother, Love. Shukaku talks all of the time now, and he...He tells and shows me some interesting things.''

I groaned and leaned against him. ''Fantastic! I LIKE how innocent you are. It's sweet. But friggan Shukaku has to go and corrupt you.''

Gaara's body shook lightly and he shook his head.

''I'll promise that I'll try to stay as innocent as possible for you, Love.''

I pouted. ''Yeah. But 'innocent as possible' still may be REALLY perverted. I guess I'll just have to get used to it.''

He nodded and leaned forward to bite at my protruding lip. I gasped and he began to lower me to the bed.

I pulled back quickly. ''Gaara, my hair will be messed up!''

He growled and twisted so I was lying on top of him, so quickly that my head began spinning. It didn't help that his mouth latched back onto mine and he was kissing me deeply.

His hand began to wander, letting it run down my side to my thigh, clenching in the fabric and pulling the already hiked up dress, higher.

I untangled a hand from his hair and grabbed his hand, bringing it over his head.

He pulled back and blinked at me with hazy eyes.

''Did I do something wrong?''

I shook my head. ''No. You're just not used to me being in a dress and when you clutched at me, the fabric slid up.''

He nodded and after a deep breath, relaxed against the bed. A moment later, there was a banging at the door and I giggled as Gaara shot a glare towards the noise. His glare only worsened as Kankuro's voice flitted through the door.

''Gaara, Ria, we need to leave.''

Gaara sighed and I moved off of him, causing him to pout as I checked my reflection in the mirror.

My lips were swollen and the bite mark on my shoulder was darkening slowly. I groaned and applied a dab of makeup to the mark, making it look like a bruise. I turned back to see Gaara, standing by the door and pouting at me.

I smiled and moved towards him, straightening his rumpled robes and he rolled his eyes before moving to open the door.

Kankuro stood, his arm around Misa's waist and pulling on the collar of his dress shirt. He shot a jealous look at Gaara, who was wearing his Kazekage robes and tugged at his collar again. Temari had made him dress up instead of wearing his normal ninja outfit.

I shook my head and smiled.

''Where is Misa, and Sai?''

Misa shrugged. ''They wanted time to themselves. I'm not even sure if she's going to the wedding.''

I frowned. ''But wasn't Sai a member of Sakura's team?''

Misa paused and it was Kankuro who answered.

''He'll be there. The Hokage ordered all of the Leaf villagers to attend.''

I nodded and stayed close to Gaara's side as he led us out of the Uchiha compound and into the still deserted street.

As we walked Gaara spoke to Kankuro quietly.

''I'll need you to keep an eye on Ria. The Hokage has demanded that all of the Kage's and council members sit together.''

I giggled. ''Suck's for you. You'll have to tell me about some of the gossip that you hear.'' He growled softly and I saw Kankuro shoot him a worried look. His voice as he spoke was slightly unsteady.

''Of course I'll watch her, Gaara. Though, I'm not sure that she and Misa can get into a lot of troube during a wedding.''

Misa laughed and I smiled impishly as she spoke.

''We can get into trouble ANYWHERE, sweetheart. We're just that talented.''

He looked at her startled and I laughed before looking to see where Gaara was leading us.

It was a large circular building and Kankuro groaned.

''They're having the wedding in the fighting arena?''

Gaara nodded and stopped us outside of the door.

''They were originally going to have it in the Uchiha gardens, but the Hokage invited too many people for all of them to fit.''

Kankuro nodded and I sighed. Great. Tons of strange people. At least they wouldn't be looking at ME.

Gaara sighed and led us through the open door.

''I'll have to leave you now.''

I smiled and nodded. ''Okay. Have fun with the windbags.''

He grimaced and nodded. ''I'll try, Love. YOU try not to get into too much trouble.''

I gave him an innocent look, which was ruined when I giggled and he rolled his eyes, before moving towards another staircase.

I watched him go, before turning back to find Kankuro giving me a strange look. I frowned at him.

''What?''

He shook his head. ''I could have sworn that Gaara just called you 'love'. I guess my hearing has finally went out because of Temari's constant yelling.''

I rolled my eyes and Misa laughed suddenly.

''Gaara calls Ria, 'love' all of the time, Sweety. I can't believe that you've never heard it before.''

Kankuro's eyes widened and he shook his head. ''He's never given anyone an endearing name before. You've changed my brother a lot since he's gotten to know you. I've heard him tell you that he loves you and when he growled earlier, I thought that he was going to hurt somebody but you seemed so used to it that it didn't even faze you.''

I laughed and shook my head. ''Gaara growls like that all of the time. Whether it's because he's actually irritated or because he's teasing, so I hear that noise a lot.

But as for giving me a term of endearment; that did come as a surprise. I never expected it from him. But he says it so often that when he uses my actual name I know that he's extremely serious with what he's saying.''

Kankuro nodded and shrugged, pushing open a door that led to rows of quickly filling seats.

''Like I said: You've changed my brother.''

I shrugged and went to a less crowded area, taking a seat far away from any other person. Kankuro followed and sat in between Misa and I. Probably trying to prevent any mischief that we would get into by sitting next to each other.

We watched as people began to file in, most in three's and I let out a startled yell as a pair of arms wrapped around my shoulders, almost knocking me forward.

I turned to see untidy blond hair and laughed.

''Ru Ru!''

He pulled away and grinned at me, stepping over the back of the seat next to me and plopping down.

''Hi, Ri! Where's Gaara, did you leave him at home?''

I shook my head and pointed to a balcony which held the Kage's and leaf council members.

''He's up there. The Hokage made him sit up there with all of the important people.'' Naruto frowned. ''Well, that's not fair.''

I nodded. ''Yeah, poor Gaara is up there all by himself.''

Naruto shook his head. ''Not that. I mean that I'm one of the most important people here, and I wasn't invited to sit up there.''

I frowned. ''That's horrible, Ru Ru. Gaara is probably bored and having to deal with crazy people.''

Naruto smiled. ''But if I was up there, I could cheer Gaara up.''

I rolled my eyes and laughed. If Naruto was in the balcony he would probably exasperate Gaara more then cheer him up.

''So where have you put Hinata?''

Naruto frowned and looked around, before standing on the chair and waving. ''HINATA! I'm over here. Don't worry about stepping on the people. They'll move!''

I turned to look where he was yelling and found a blushing Hinata, stumbling towards us and muttering apologies to the irritated looking people.

Once she was close enough, Naruto grabbed her and pulled her into the seat beside him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and I saw her flush and give him a shy smile.

I rolled my eyes and made a gagging noise.

''Ew! Stop making goo goo eyes at each other!''

Naruto stuck his tongue out at me and Kankuro laughed. Hinata's face flushed hotly and I thought that she was going to pass out.

''Hinata, are you okay?''

She nodded and fanned her face with a hand.

''I'm fine. But I think that the wedding is about to start.''

I turned my head back to the arena and found a woman who looked like to be in her late twenties walk into the center. I saw that she was wearing the Hokage robes and blinked hard.

''I thought that the Hokage was supposed to be an older woman?''

Naruto snorted. ''She IS old. She just had a jutsu that makes her look younger.''

I frowned and turned my attention back to her as she spoke.

''I want to thank you all for coming today. I know that we gave you short notice to be here. But now that I've thanked you, I believe that we have a wedding to conduct.''

She stepped onto a platform that rose from the middle of the arena and I saw Sasuke, and Sakura walking towards her from opposite doors.

Sakura was wearing a pink and purple Kimono while Sasuke's was black. A red and white fan on the back.

The ceremony was long and I was beginning to get bored when I heard a strange cry, followed by a black and white fluffball stumbling it's way around the arena. I gasped as Butterball let out another pitiful cry and looked at Gaara, who was performing some hand signs.

Another second later the panda was wrapped in sand and he disappeared. Kankuro chuckled and I glanced at him.

''That is the first time I've ever heard that thing cry, and the most I've ever seen it move without being carried.''

I glared at him and punched his arm, hard. He winced and rubbed the spot I had hit.

I ignored him and returned my attention back to Gaara, who was petting the shuddering panda. His eyes locked with mine and I could see the same question in his gaze as I had going through my mind: Where in the world was Temari and why did she allow Butterball to run through the arena.

I smiled comfortingly and he inclined his head before turning his attention back to the wedding. I followed his example and found the Hokage sending a glare towards him, but kept her voice steady as she continued the wedding.

She pulled a pink robe from behind her and placed it over Sakura's shoulders. It held the same symbol on the back that Sasuke wore.

The Hokage pushed Sasuke and Sakura together and smiled.

''I am now proud to introduce you to the newest member of the Uchiha family: Sakura Uchiha!''

There was a loud round of applause and happy yells as Sasuke walked his new wife off of the platform and out of the arena.

I saw Kankuro stand and he touched Misa's shoulder.

''Let's get outta here before this mob decides to all leave at once.''

I nodded, in full agreement and followed after them quickly. Naruto following close behind, dragging Hinata.

We stopped outside of the arena and Naruto smiled at us.

''Y'all are coming to the celebration later this afternoon, right?''

I frowned. ''What celebration?''

He shrugged. ''The one for Sakura and Sasuke. The council and Grandma are giving them some gifts and they thought that it would be best at a party.''

I looked at Kankuro and he nodded. ''Yeah. We won't be heading back to Suna until tomorrow.''

I nodded and smiled at Naruto. ''I guess that we'll be there then.''

He grinned and I narrowed my eyes. ''You're planning something, RuRu. What is it?''

He shrugged. ''It's a surprise.''

I groaned. ''The last time you told me that you almost burnt down my kitchen because you wanted to make a HUGE batch of ramen.''

He laughed. ''You'll just have to wait, and see.''

I glared at him, but he only laughed and dragged Hinata off in another direction.

I shook my head and Kankuro sighed. ''I think that we should head back to the compound. Gaara can just meet us there. I'm sick of being surrounded by these people.''

I nodded, agreeing and followed him and Misa closely, trying to avoid bumping into anyone.

**I do not own Naruto or it's characters. Thanks so much for reading and for the reviews that I have been receiving. I love reading them. I will post another chapter soon and please ignore the mess ups. **

**:)**


	53. Chapter 53

**ALRIGHT GUYS. There are parts of this chapter that I'm a bit iffy about when it comes to the rating. Now I don't think that it should be rated anything higher then T but if any of you do then just tell me and I will change it. I have seen things on here that are worse then this and are still rated T, and I would have probably skipped over this chapter completely if it hadn't been that the story didn't flow nearly as well as it did with it. **

**So if any of you have issues, just tell me and I'll just up the rating. But don't worry, there's nothing really graphic at all. Nothing that you wouldn't see in a PG rated movie now a days. **

**Anyways, you know the drill by now: I don't own Naruto or it's characters. Please ignore any mistakes and I hope that you enjoy the story. Review if you want, I like to read anything that's sent to me. Good or bad. :)**

I was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling when Gaara stomped into the room, slamming the door behind him. I looked at him as he placed the still trembling Butterball next to me and threw off his Kazekage robes.

''I need a shower.''

I nodded and pulled Butterball closer to me, petting him gently.

He made a whining noise and curled closer to me.

''Poor Butterball.''

I heard the water turn on and wondered what had made Gaara so angry.

I shrugged, knowing that he would tell me when he got out of the shower.

I closed my eyes and let my mind wander, the sound of running water a relaxing background sound.

After a few minutes, I heard the water turn off and a second later, Gaara came out of the bathroom a towel wrapped around his waist.

I raised an eyebrow at him and he tossed the black bag he had taken to the bathroom on the bed beside me. I looked at the bag and began to laugh.

Gaara had taken my bag, thinking that it was his. He now shot a glare at me and began to rifle through his own bag, looking for clothes.

''It's not funny, Ria.''

I shook my head, still giggling. ''Yes, it is. And I think that you would have been cute wearing some of my clothes.''

He growled and walked back to the bathroom, slaming the door behind him. I laughed for a second later, before closing my eyes. A moment later I felt arms wrapping around me and Gaara sighed softly.

''The Hokage confronted me before I was able to leave the arena. She was angry that Butterball had interrupted the wedding. She said that I needed to control my pets if I was going to bring them to Kanoha.''

He began petting the top of Butterball's head as he continued speaking.

''I found Temari after the Hokage finished yelling and asked her why the panda had been allowed to run around by himself and she said that the wedding was taking to long and she wanted to speed things up.''

I frowned and he tightened his arm. ''I'm not sure that I want Temari to keep Butterball anymore without one of us nearby. He could have been hurt. He hasn't stopped shaking since I transported him from the arena.''

I nodded and felt the panda tremble again. ''I don't understand why she would put him through that, she loves Butterball.''

Gaara shook his head and shrugged. ''I don't think that she realized just how scared it would make Butterball to be alone. She probably just thought that it would be a good joke.''

I sighed and frowned.

''It was still mean.''

He nodded and nuzzled into the back of my neck.

''Did you want to go to the party today?''

I shrugged. ''I told Naruto that I would. He said that he has this 'big surprise' to show us.''

I felt Gaara frown against my neck before nodding.

''I guess we better go then.''

I sighed, and sat up, stretching lightly. ''Yeah. I think we should take a nap afterward though.''

Gaara smiled and nodded as he sat up. ''I agree. I'd rather we not go to the party, but I know that Naruto will come looking for you.''

I nodded and kissed him quickly before grabbing Butterball and standing up.

''Well, let's go then. Can't keep everybody waiting.''

He rolled his eyes and after crawling off the bed, let me lead him towards the noisy living room.

As we entered the room, Naruto jumped up and ran towards us, holding up a glass bottle.

''See what I brought?''

I frowned and took a closer look before I slammed my hand to my forehead.

''You're surprise is ALCOHOL?''

He nodded and took a deep drink from the bottle.

''Yap.''

I groaned and Gaara sighed before taking my hand, leading us further into the room, towards the other people.

Temari and Shikamaru were absent, along with Mona and Sai. But Lee was there, along with a blond haired girl who was sitting next to a boy with wild looking brown hair, a dog in his lap. All of them were drinking from the bottles that Naruto had brought.

Lee wasn't even halfway through the drink when he made a whooping noise and began to dance on a coffee table.

I glanced at Misa and she looked back at me with wide eyes. She had stuck with water, and forced Kankuro to stay away from the alcohol, either drinking punch or water.

Gaara was drinking his fourth glass of punch and I noticed that his eyes were glazing over, his face flushed.

I frowned and touched his cheek gently feeling the heat there.

''Gaara, honey are you alright?''

He glanced at me and it looked like it was hard for him to focus. He blinked hard and shook his head.

I took the cup from his lax fingers and after sniffing at the contents, took a hesitant sip. I wrinkled my nose as a slight hint of alcohol hit me and I shot a glare at a sloppily grinning Naruto.

He had spiked the punch.

I sighed and grabbed Misa's attention.

''The punch has alcohol in it.''

Her eyes widened and she glanced at Kankuro, who's eyes were drooping and quickly took the cup from him.

I looked around the room and saw that everyone was a little tipsy, if not completely drunk. I shrugged, knowing that we wouldn't be missed and grabbed Gaara's hand, pulling him up.

I turned to Misa, wrapping a steady arm around Gaara and he leaned on me heavily. ''I'm taking Gaara to sleep this off.''

She nodded and grabbed Kankuro's hand.

''I'll take Kankuro to our room in a minute.''

I nodded and led Gaara out of the room and into the hallway. He swayed slightly and I noticed when we stood that his eyes became even more glassy.

We finally got to the room and I was able to push Gaara through the door, without causing him to fall. I closed the door as he threw off his outer robes and gasped as I was suddenly pinned to the door. I looked up at him, startled and found a gold tint in his hazy eyes.

He gave me a lopsided smile as he pressed closer to me, his hands clenching at my hips. I had raised my hands automatically, when he pushed me to the door and I now found that they were trapped between our bodies.

I frowned up at him, but gasped a moment later as his mouth crashed to mine, his lips moving hard against mine. I tasted alcohol and tried to pull away. He growled as I finally broke the kiss and my voice was breathless as I tried to reason with him.

''Gaara, you're drunk. You need to lay down and sleep.''

He smirked and answered with slurred words.

''Are you going to lay down with me?''

I blinked at him owlishly and shook my head, feeling his hands running across my back softly.

''I don't think that that's a good idea right now.''

He paused for a moment before his hands at my back pressed my chest into his tightly and his smirk turned evil.

''Oh, I think you will. I don't feel like being told no right now.''

I swallowed hard at his words and shook my head. This was not turning out well.

He took a step backwards, not releasing his hold on me and I was forced to move with him. I opened my mouth, preparing to reason with him when he crashed his lips to mine again.

I felt one of his hands slide up my back to my neck, and felt a slight pressure there before I felt my dress dip slightly.

I made a startled noise against his mouth and he pushed me to arms distance, letting the top of the dress fall down completely.

I squeaked and tried to bring the cloth back over me, only to have Gaara growl and pin my hands to my sides. His eyes raked over my exposed skin and I yelped as he turned me quickly and threw me onto the bed. I moved my arms, only to have my wrists captured by sand and pinned above my head.

I glared up at Gaara and found that he had stripped from his clothes and stood in his boxers.

I blinked quickly and shook my head, gasping as he lowered himself on top of me.

I saw that his eyes had more gold in them then they did before and wriggled, trying to get him to hear my words.

''Gaara. You need to stop this. You don't even know what you're DOING right now. LISTEN TO ME!''

He locked his gaze with mine, his eyes serious as he contemplate my words. A moment later however he smirked.

''You like what I'm doing to you. And you know that you do. Why don't you just give up and enjoy it?''

He ran his hand up my leg, bringing my skirt with it and I gasped at the contact of skin.

''B...Because you're drunk! I don't want to do this when you're drunk.''

He shook his head and his smile softened slightly.

''Relax, Love. I won't hurt you.''

I shook my head and he laid a hand on my cheek, pressing his lips to mine, this time with less force.

He pressed his body tightly to mine and I was tempted to just give in to him. But when he deepened the kiss I got another taste of alcohol and growled softly. When I got my hands on that blond kitsune, I was going to slap those whisker marks off of his face.

I felt Gaara's hand grip my knee and hitch it over his hip, pressing our bodies closer together.

I forced down a surprised whimper, wishing that I was in my jeans. I had liked the dress in the beginning but now I thought that it was too reveling. And too easily accessible.

I began to wriggle again, not wanting to hurt Gaara but trying to get his attention. He growled and removed his mouth from mine to attack my neck. His hands began to slide over the revealed skin and I bit my lip hard, trying to concentrate on my words and not what he was making me feel.

''Gaara, you're drunk. Now is not the time for this. You need to stop now. You aren't thinking clearly.''

He paused against my neck, listening as I spoke and now he pulled away to stare at me. His eyes were almost completely golden now and his cannins had elongated to fangs. He spoke and I forced down a shudder as a deeper, growling voice came from his lips.

''Why are you fighting me about this so much? I KNOW you want this. Now is perfect. We're together and don't have to worry about someone bursting into the room and yelling at us. I don't want to stop and I'm not pushing YOU, because I don't HAVE too.''

He growled suddenly. ''Now stop distracting me or I'll gag you. And I would rather not do that since I like to hear your voice.''

My eyes widened at that statement, not just because of the words but because of the voice that said it. It wasn't Gaara that spoke that time. Shukaku was trying to push his way to the surface and had succeeded in that moment.

I watched him carefully, making sure that Shukaku wasn't going to take over completely, or force Gaara's dulled brain into thinking he needed to do something violent.

I sighed in relief after a moment, realizing that Gaara still had enough control to keep Shukaku locked away and that the gold in his eyes was fading slightly.

I bit back a gasp as he bit harshly at my skin, leaving marks. I was refusing to give any indication that I liked what he was doing and so kept a tight grip on the sheets above my head.

After a moment I noticed that his movements were becoming sluggish and he was resting his head on my shoulder, nuzzling my chest lightly.

His hand was moving slowly over my side and I tugged my hands from the softening sand. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and stroked his hair gently.

He sighed and his hand came to rest against my ribs, his breathing evening out quickly.

I let out a relieved sigh and tugged at the covers, wanting them over me.

Gaara shifted suddenly and I froze, not wanting him to wake up and finish what he had started. I waited until I heard his breath steady again and finished pulling the covers over us.

His breath was warm across my skin and his body heat was seeping into me, making me sleepy.

I wasn't that worried about what he would do when he woke up, knowing that he would probably just be embarrassed about what had happened.

I heard someone elses breathing in the room and shifted my eyes to find Butterball sleeping on Gaara's discarded clothes.

I smiled and closed my eyes, wondering if the alcohol would make Gaara sleep longer then he normally did.

I listened to the steady breathing that surrounded me and let it lull me to sleep.


	54. Chapter 54

I felt a movement, and heard a groan, followed by a sharp gasp. I opened my eyes to find Gaara's aqua eyes, widened in shock.

''Ria, my love, why are we...undressed?''

I frowned. ''Do you not remember anything about what happened last night?''

He frowned and bit his lip. ''I remember you dragging me to the room because Naruto had spiked the punch and then I...''

His eyes widened and he lowered his head to my shoulder.

''Oh. NO. I am SO sorry, Ria. Shukaku was talking to me and I lost my self control for a little while.''

He lifted his head a little bit and locked eyes with me.

''I'm SO SO, sorry.''

I laughed and shook my head. ''It's alright, Gaara. You were drunk and I noticed that you didn't have a whole lot of control, Shukaku was beginning to take over a bit. You're eyes turned almost completely gold and at one point it wasn't even your voice that spoke to me.''

He shook his head and groaned suddenly, grasping his forehead.

''My head hurts.''

I nodded and brought my hand up to rub his temple.

''You have a hangover. It happens to most people after they've drank a lot.''

He groaned and closed his eyes, leaning into my touch.

''I don't like this at all.''

I nodded and he lowered himself to lay on top of me.

''I know that I need to get up and get dressed, but I really don't want to move.''

I rolled my eyes. ''I suppose that that's alright. It would be a little weird if you didn't want to be with your girlfriend when she was like this.''

I felt him smile against my neck and he nodded. ''I suppose so. But I'll need to take Butterball outside soon.''

I nodded and looked over towards the panda. He lifted his head to look at me and I smiled. ''He's awake, Gaara. And he's lying on your clothes.''

Gaara jerked his head up and looked towards the panda bear, shooting a glare at him.

''If you pee on my clothes, I'm going to murder you.''

Butterball blinked at him and I laughed, tapping Gaara's shoulder.

''Don't be mean to our panda, hon. He's been through enough the past few days.''

Gaara nodded before sighing and lifting his body off of mine, leaving my upper body bare to the cold air. I gasped and he looked down at me, his face heating. He jumped off of the bed and threw the covers over me, looking away the entire time.

''Sorry. I forgot about your...lack of clothing.''

I nodded and curled onto my side, huddling under the blankets.

''It's alright. It's not like you didn't see all of it last night.''

His blush deepened and he shook his head.

''I'm never drinking again.''

I laughed and shook my head, feeling my matted hair fall into my face.

''It's not your fault, Gaara. It was Ru Ru's. And as soon as I see him, you may have to stop me from strangling the kitsune.''

Gaara smirked and pulled on his clothes before turning towards me hesitantly.

''Would you mind if I kissed you?'' I

rolled my eyes and shook my head. ''Of course not. You know that you don't have to ask.'' He shook his head and leaned over to kiss me gently. He smiled when he pulled away, leaning his forehead against mine.

''I wasn't sure if you would be comfortable with me kissing you after how I acted last night.''

I sighed and brought my arms out of the blankets, wrapping them around his neck.

''I love you, Gaara. Nothing that happened last night has changed that.''

He smiled and rubbed his nose against mine, causing me to laugh. He stood up and grabbed Butterball. He smiled over his shoulder at me, before walking out the door.

As soon as the door closed, I hurried to grab a pair of my normal clothes and ran towards the bathroom, closing the door quickly.

I stripped out of the now wrinkled dress and frowned at the green fabric. Though I had enjoyed wearing it when Temari had first given it to me, after last night I decided that it was too easy to untie the ribbons. Gaara had had no problem with causing the entire front to fall to my waist.

I kicked it over to a corner and turned on the shower. I needed to wash all of the gunk out of my hair, and then I would need to ask Gaara to brush it. The hairspray that Temari had practically poured on it had caused it to be stiff.

I turned the water on and stepped inside the small stall, suddenly realizing how spoiled I had become with Gaara's huge shower. I was beginning to miss Suna and that was strange to me because I hadn't had any home sickness for Aubry's.

I mean, sure I missed Salem and Dolly, and Niko. But the thought of returning home, didn't make me happy at all. It actual caused the opposite. Because I would have to leave Gaara.

I frowned and shook the thoughts from my head, refusing to dwell on them any longer. I finished my shower in a hurry, not wanting to leave Gaara alone with his thoughts for long.

I turned the water off and pulled on my clothes, my hair wrapped up in a towel.

I walked into the bedroom and frowned as I saw a cloaked person sitting on my bed. The moment I stepped out of the bathroom doorway the person lifted his head and I sighed in relief as I caught sight of the black eyes that now stared at me.

''What are you doing here, Weasel?''

He rolled his eyes and pushed the hood off of his head.

''Did you really think that I would miss my little brother's wedding?''

I shrugged and moved to sit beside him on the bed.

''I didn't really think about it. But I suppose not. Have you gone to see him?''

He shook his head and sighed. ''He thinks I'm dead remember? I can't just show up. He would think that he was seeing a ghost. And it would just cause a scene. Especially with that fangirl of a wife that he now has.''

I sighed. ''You'll need to tell him at some point, Weasel. It's not fair for him to think that he's the last of his family.

From what I've heard he's always been very obsessed with restoring his 'clan' and he doesn't even know that you've already helped do that, and he has a niece and nephew.''

Weasel frowned and nodded, pulling a letter out of his pocket, handing it to me.

''You're right. That's why I want you to give this letter to him. It explains everything that has happened since he's seen me.''

I nodded and looked at the letter I held.

''Alright. I guess I can brave your brothers glare and bring him your letter.''

Weasel smirked and nodded. ''He does seem to have developed an attitude.''

I nodded. ''Something he learned from you?''

He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

''No. I left Kanoha when he was young, so his attitude wasn't from me. I think he learned most of it on his own.''

I shrugged and laid the letter next to me. ''Did you bring the twins with you?''

Weasel nodded. ''They wanted to see their 'lost uncle,' as they put it. Right now they're in the market.''

I gaped at him. ''Alone?''

He nodded and I shook my head. ''Bad Weasel! Leaving children alone. What would Dani say.''

He glared at me and I laughed. ''I wont tell her.''

He nodded. ''Good. She would have my head. Especially with how irritated she's been lately.''

He sighed. ''Anyways, we're in Kanoha and I know from experience that not much happens within the walls.''

I nodded and he stood up. ''I guess I need to get them before they get bored and destroy something, though. Riku learned how to use the fire ball jutsu and has been using it whenever he's bored.''

I laughed and shook my head. ''I can see that. I wish that I could have seen them.''

He nodded and patted my shoulder gently. ''You can always come for a visit when you get home. Also I'm going to need a babysitter when Dani has the baby.''

I sighed. ''I don't know when I'm coming home. But I'll try to be there when Dani goes into labour.''

He nodded. ''Good. I'll tell the twins that you say hello.''

I nodded and watched as he did some hand signs and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I glared at the smoke and began to rub my hair dry with the towel. Stupid ninja's and their disappearing acts.

I had just finished drying my hair when Gaara walked through the door, carrying a sleeping Butterball.

I smiled as he placed the panda on the floor.

''Where were you for so long?''

He sighed and sat beside me, flopping backwards on the bed, his arms above his head. ''Lee saw me while I was outside with Butterball and he stopped to talk.''

I nodded and pulled my fingers through my tangled hair. Gaara frowned and reached around me, picking up the letter.

''What's this, Love?''

I shrugged. ''Weasel came to see Sasuke's wedding and wants me to deliever that to him.'' Gaara sighed and rubbed his eyes.

''I'll go with you. I don't want to leave you alone with the Uchiha.''

I smiled and patted his shoulder. ''Alright. We should probably do that then.''

He nodded. ''After that we need to get ready to leave. I don't want to be here another night.''

I nodded and he reached up to twirl my hair around his finger.

''Do you want me to brush your hair before we leave?''

I shrugged. ''If you want to. I know that it needs it.''

He nodded and pulled his hand away, closing his eyes. ''I will, after we deliever the letter. We'll need to give Kankuro and Temari time to repack and say their goodbye's.''

I rolled my eyes and leaned over, kissing him gently. He sighed and was just beginning to bring his arms around me when a sudden knock on the door caused me to pull back with a glare.

I had thought that since we weren't in Suna, I wouldn't have to deal with so many interuptions when I was kissing Gaara. Apparently I was wrong.

Gaara's lips twitched in a half smile, knowing that I was irritated even though his eyes remained closed.

I sighed and nuzzled into his neck.

''If we ignore them, do you think that they will go away?''

He shrugged and after a moment another knock sounded on the door.

I groaned and pulled myself away from Gaara and walked over to the door, flinging it open.

Naruto grinned at me from the other side and I growled.

''This had better be a COLOSAL disaster, Naruto. If it's not, then you should pray for your life because I am already angry at you and am REALLY close to strangling you with your own spinal chord.''

His grin widened and he laughed. ''Did you not enjoy yourself last night, Ri?''

He frowned. ''Gaara didn't instantly fall asleep did he?''

My glare worsened and he laughed. ''Oh, good! He didn't!''

I clenched my fists and tried to take a calming breath.

''What. Do. You. Want?''

He frowned suddenly. ''I saw Riku and Miku in the market. They said that their dad had come to talk to you.''

I nodded. ''Weasel wants me to deliever a message to Sasuke.''

Naruto's grin returned and he grabbed my wrist, tuggingme out the door.

''Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go find him!''

I frowned as he began to pull me down the hallway and it took me a moment to realize that Gaara was following close behind us, the letter held in his hand. I sent him a grateful look over my shoulder and he gave me a half smile before I was pushed into the living room.

I looked around at the curious faces and groaned silently.

Sasuke and Sakura were there, but so was the Hokage, Kankuro, and Misa. And Temari, and Shikamaru had just came through the door as well, pausing when they saw Naruto's grin and my disturned look.

Naruto ignored everyone and pointed at Sasuke.

''Ri, has a letter for you!''

I felt Gaara slip the paper into my hand and Sasuke turned cold eyes towards me.

''Who's it from?''

I shrugged. ''He didn't tell me his name.''

I held the letter out and Sasuke took it wearily, reading it quickly.

When he brought his eyes back to me, I saw the Sharingan had activated and was spinning slowly.

''Who gave you this letter?''

I shrugged. ''Some guy. I didn't ask his name.''

Sasuke's eyes spun a little faster and he clenched his hands, crumpling the paper.

''So you don't know who this man was?''

I rolled my eyes. ''How would I know that? This is my first trip to the leaf villiage.''

He smiled cruely. ''How do you know he was from here? Was he wearing a leaf head band? They're are plenty of people from other villages here for the wedding.''

I sighed and saw Naruto shooting me a confused look and Gaara trying to hide a smirk. He knew my evasion game pretty well by now and was finding it amusing when used on the Uchiha.

'' I didn't look to see if he was wearing a headband. But he know's you, right? So I figured that he had to be from this village.''

Sasuke frowned, not finding a flaw in my wording and nodded slowly.

''I suppose. I shouldn't have been so suspicious. I can't really see my brother being associated with someone like you anyways. He's never been to fond of weak and emotional people.''

I forced myself not to roll my eyes at how this boy remembered his brother. Weasel had married a VERY emotional woman, and from what he had told me, everything he had done after he killed his family was fulled by his emotions.

I felt Gaara stiffen beside me and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly.

''So you DO know him then. That's good. With how many questions you were asking, it almost seemed like you didn't.''

I saw the Sharingan spin rapidly and Sasuke growled suddenly.

''You're hidding something. I'm not sure what it is, but I can tell that you're not telling me everything that you know.''

I frowned. Stupid Sharingan. I shrugged and Sasuke turned towards the Hokage.

''I would like to search her mind.''

The Hokage stared at me and I could feel Gaara stiffen beside me, his hand clutching mine until I was sure the bones would snap.

''I don't think so. This is not the kind of treatement that I would expect the leaf to show its guests.''

The Hokage flinched slightly and turned her eyes towards Gaara. Sasuke spoke suddenly, causing the Hokage's eyes to widen.

''What do you know? Like the sand village is known for it's hospitality. The last time that strangers came into your village, they tried to destroy the village and wound up kidnapping you. Even the great and powerful Kazekage turned out to be usless against those ninja's. And then they extracted Shukaku from you.

So now you are NOTHING compared to how you were. You have no right to be called the most powerful ninja in Suna anymore. You were nothing but a vessal for Shukaku from the beginning and now you're just a shell. There's nothing important about you. You even had to rely on an old lady to give your life back to you. She wanted to use that jutsu on her grandson, but APPARENTLY she thought you were more important. Don't ask me why.''

My skin had begun heating as soon as he began speaking and I was now trying hard to keep a tight hold on the flames.

I took a step forwards and caught a warning glance from both Misa, and Naruto.

''How DARE you talk that way about, Gaara. He sacrificed his life to SAVE his village. What have you done lately, Sasuke Uchiha? Kill your brother? The one peorson who has always cared about you more then himself. Try to destroy the village that you were raised in and the friends that have followed you around the world, trying to save you?

And yet you critisize someone who has tried to make his life right by PROTECTING the people that hated him? You know NOTHING about what you're talking about.''

I tilted my head and smiled cruelly. ''Tell me: Is the reason why you're critisizing Gaara, because you can't stand to look in a mirror and see the person that you've become compared to everyone else around you, who has only bettered their life and haven't screwed up as bad as you have? Does it make you feel better to belittle everyone around you and make their accomplishments feel llike failures?

Or are you really so stupid that you believe that the only thing that matters in life is power?''

I saw the Hokage's eyes widen and the Sharingan in spinning quickly a moment before I felt a pressure in my head. I put up the walls that Weasel had taught me to use and Sasuke groaned and grabbed his head, his eyes beginning to bleed.

Sakura gasped and wrapped her arms around his waist as he pointed at me.

''I want HER out of my house.''

I glared and Gaara wrapped his arms around me.

''That's fine with me. Kankuro, Temari. Get your things. We leave in ten minutes.''

Both nodded and rushed from the room, dragging Misa, and Shikamaru with them. Naruto was looking between his team mates and myself a confused look on his face. I smiled softly and waved my hand.

''Go cheek on them Ru Ru. I'll see you later.''

He nodded and I turned to look at the Hokage who had approached us, a startled look on her face.

''I am sorry about what Sasuke has said today. It was rude and is not the view of most of Kanoha. I would still like to have a meeting with you, before you leave.''

Gaara frowned and tightened his arms around me.

''What will happen if I refuse?''

The Hokage paused before lowering her voice.

''It is important that you don't refuse.''

Gaara drew in a deep breath before nodding.

''We will be there in fifteen minutes.''

The Hokage nodded and Gaara dragged me out of the room. He left me standing there for only a minute before he was back, carrying both of our bags and Butterball. I took my bag from him and followed him silently outside where Temari, Kankuro and Misa all waited. Shikamaru had went home, I guess.

All three looked at us when we walked towards them and Gaara glared.

''We are going to Hokage tower for a quick meeting.''

Temari and Kankuro nodded, both shooting their brother a worried glance. Misa and I followed behind the three and Misa turned towards me, keeping her voice low.

''Why didn't you explain that you knew Itachi?''

I shook my head. ''You saw how angry he was already, just by having me DELIEVER a message from Weasel. Can you imagine if he found out that I LIVED with him? That I knew where he was? Sasuke was already looking for something to cause a fight between himself and Gaara. If he knew that I was anywhere NEAR the Akatsuki, I'm sure that he would try to convince the council here that Suna was a threat.''

Misa frowned and nodded. ''I got that feeling. That he wants a fight. Though he doesn't seem to care who it's with.''

I nodded and hurried her to catch up with the siblings.

Misa and I looked around curiously as we entered the Hokage building and followed the sand ninjas up the stairs.

By the time we reached the top, Misa and I were breathing a bit heavier then normal. Gaara pushed the door open without knocking and led us into a brightly lit room with a large desk in front of big windows.

The Hokage sat behind her desk, piles of paperwork in front of her. She looked at us when we entered and frowned.

''I hope that you won't get angry at me Kazekage, but I too would like to know what it is that your girlfriend is hiding. Though the way Sasuke handled things was rude and uncalled for, I trust that his Sharingan knows when someone is evading the truth.''

I heard Gaara's growl and took Butterball from him before his tight arms injured the poor panda.

I saw him nod slightly and turned back towards the Hokage with a sigh.

''Sasuke was right in assuming that I knew who the man that gave me that letter was. He was one of the men that helped raise me.''

The Hokage's eyes widened and she took a deep breath before leaning back against her chair.

''I think that you better start at the beginning. I would like all of the facts before deciding what to do about this.''

I bit my lip and Gaara wrapped his arm around my waist, supporting me silently.

I nodded and after a deep breath returned to facing the Hokage.

''When I was a child, the village I was living in was attacked by Sasori and Orochimaru. Because I was a little kid, Sasori took me with him. I lived in the Akatsuki for years and grew up around what you call rogue ninja's.''

The Hokage's eyes narrowed and looked over me.

''But you never joined the Akatsuki yourself?''

I shook my head. ''No. I never wanted to be a ninja, so I really didn't learn anything about that way of life.''

The Hokage nodded and turned to Gaara.

''And you don't mind that your girlfriend lived with the men that killed you?''

He shrugged. ''Not really.''

The Hokage sighed and rubbed her eyes. ''I need to think about this. Also, now that we know that Itachi is still alive, it brings up the question of whether the other Akatsuki members are alive as well.''

She looked at me and I shrugged, causing her to glare.

''Unless of course you can tell me if they are or not?''

I shook my head and Gaara frowned next to me. ''It would be best if you left that fact alone, Lady Hokage. If they are still alive then they wish to remain hidden and haven't caused any harm.''

She paused before nodding. ''You're right. And I will not mention any of this to the council. It will simply be between us.''

Gaara nodded. ''Good. Is that all you wanted to discuss?''

The Hokage nodded. ''Mostly. I also wanted to apologise for Sasuke's behaviour towards you. That was uncalled for.''

Gaara sighed and nodded. ''Yes, it was. But I accept your apology. But we still need to leave now. I left Baki in charge and I don't like to do that for very long.''

The Hokage nodded. ''Of course. I wish you a safe journey.''

Gaara inclined his head and Temari and Kankuro bowed before we walked from the room.

I could feel Kankuro and Temari staring at us, and tried to ignore them as Gaara pulled me through the Kanoha gates.

Once we were surounded by trees, Gaara stopped and turned to face his sibling, his arms crossed.

''Alright. Let's get this over with. What questions do you have?''

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Gaara, Temari speaking first.

''Why didn't you tell us about any of this?''

He sighed. ''Because I knew how you would react. I love, Ria. And it doesn't mattter to me who her family is, or what they've done. I've talked with Sasori and know the reasons why he did what he did. And if I was in his position, I might have done the same.''

Temari's eyes widened and Kankuro's mouth dropped open.

''Are you saying that Sasori is STILL alive and has VISITED you?''

Gaara nodded. ''Of course. You wouldn't expect him to let me date his adopted daughter without having a discussion with me as a concerned parent, would you?''

Kankuro now looked like a fish out of water, gapping at Gaara and Temari's eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

Misa laughed suddenly and shook her head. ''I didn't know that this would be such a big deal, Ria. Are Sasori and Die celeberties or something?''

I laughed and shook my head. ''They're considered rogue ninja's. Meaning that if they showed up around here, they would be captured or killed.''

Misa gasped and turned to Kankuro, slapping his shoulder lightly.

''You are not allowed to do those things to Die! That would just be mean.''

Kankuro gave her a stratled look. ''You knew about Sasori and Deidara, too?''

Misa nodded. ''Of course I did. I've known Ria since we were 13. And Sasori is friends with Aubry.''

I nodded and Temari sighed.

''There's not really anything we can do about this Kankuro. Gaara has made his decision, and like always, we have to stand back and let him do what he wants.''

Gaara nodded and smirked. ''That's right. And I'm going to tell you this, not as your brother, but as your Kazekage: No one is to know about Ria's conections with the Akatsuki. I'm having enough issues with the Council without them finding out about any of that as well.''

Both ninja's nodded and Gaara handed Butterball to Temari before picking me up. ''Good. Then let's go home.''

They nodded again and Kankuro picked up Misa. A moment later, we were again on the move, only this time towards Suna. I felt that Gaara's speed was faster then it had been on the way to Kanoha and I looked up at him to find him frowning in concentration.

''Are you alright, Hon?''

He hesitated before shaking his head. ''Not really. It's a full moon tonight and I've been feeling it's affects all day.''

My eyes widened and I looked up, unable to see the sky because of the trees.

''Will we be at your home before the moon rises?''

He nodded. ''If we keep going at this speed. It's faster then I would normally make Kankuro and Temari go, but I don't want them to find out about Shukaku yet, and with how close he has been to taking over, I have no doubt that tonight it going to be bad. I don't know how I'm going to act.''

I nodded and nuzzled into his neck. ''You'll be fine Gaara. I know that you're nervous about what will happen tonight, but I have enough faith that you can still control Shukaku. Even if you don't think so.''

He smiled slightly and nodded. ''Thank you, Love. Will you stay with me tonight? I don't think that you'll get much sleep, but...''

I kissed him quickly, cutting off his words.

''I wouldn't ever think about leaving you alone tonight.''

He sighed and I felt some of the tension drain from his body.

''Thank you, Love.''

I smiled and relaxed against him, wondering how close the moon was going to be from rising when we got to his home.

**Thanks for reading! Hope that you liked it. I don't own Naruto or it's characters. **

**And slowly we are coming to the end of this story. **

**Please ignore any mistakes and review if you would like. I enjoy hearing from you guys about what your thoughts are.**

**Thanks again! :)**


	55. Chapter 55

We entered the Suna gates just as the sun was beginning to set and Gaara didn't pause to speak with the guards, leaving Temari and Kankuro to do that.

I saw his siblings give him a curious look before Gaara hurried us to his home. He ran us up the stairs, and threw his bag to the floor. Struggling at the buttons on his coat. I helped him and saw that his eyes were frightened.

''I haven't felt like this in over a year.''

I nodded and sat him on the bed, pulling his shoes off.

''You'll be okay.''

He nodded and I heard the door slam downstairs, followed by Temari's voice yelling.

''Gaara, Ria, do you want something to eat?''

I saw Gaara shake his head and I went to the stairs, yelling our answer towards her. When I again entered the room, Gaara was sitting fully on the bed, his face in his hands and shuddering harshly.

I sighed and moved into his bathroom to change into my pajamas. When I came back out, I saw that he hadn't moved. I was walking towards him, when a knock on the door startled me and I quickly went to open the door a crack, making sure that the person couldn't see Gaara.

Temari gave me a curious look before handing Butterball to me.

''I thought that you might want your panda.''

She bit her lip and tried to look around me.

''Is Gaara, alright.''

I frowned not sure how to answer that and shruggedn instead.

''He's not feeling well.''

Her eyes widened and she nodded.

''Does he need anything? Any medicine, or...''

I shook my head. ''No. He'll be fine. He just needs to rest.''

She nodded and after one more glance at me, walked towards her room. I quickly placed Butterball on the floor and climbed behind Gaara, pulling his shaking body to me. I began to run my fingers through his hair and speaking to him softly.

He turned in my arms suddenly and after placing his head on my shoulder, wrapped his arms around me tightly, causing me to wince.

Pain was clouding his mind and the only thing he could think about was that he wanted to be held.

He began to mumble and though I couldn't understand what he was saying, I knew that he was talking to Shukaku.

I tightened my arms and laid my cheek against the top of his head.

I held him like that for a few hours, until his arms fell to his sides and he collapsed against me, exhausted.

I knew that Shukaku wouldn't leave him alone tonight and would give him nightmares, but at this moment, he needed to get out of his sweat drenched clothes.

I pushed him away, only to have him groan in irritation. I smiled and kissed his forehead gently.

''I'm not leaving, Gaara. But we need to get your shirt off.''

He looked up at me with foggy eyes and I began to tug at the hem of his black shirt. He lifted his arms and I tossed the shirt onto the ground, before laying down and pulling him to lay on top of me.

He shivered and I pulled the covers over us, wrapping my arms around him and rubbing his back.

Gaara's eyes were closed but I felt his body tense every few minutes.

I kept looking out the window, wishing the sun would rise quickly.

Gaara's nightmares were worsening as the night progressed, and each time I would have to talk to him, calming him down. Though he never woke up completely.

Right when I noticed that the sun was beginning to rise, Gaara flung himself from me, crying out softly.

I sat up and shook his shoulder gently.

''Gaara.''

Unlike the other times I couldn't seem to calm him down. I gasped as he brought his hands up and sunk his nails into his arms.

I pulled his hands away and moved to straddle his waist, placing my hands on his cheeks.

''Gaara. It's okay. You're only dreaming.''

He groaned and grabbed my hips tightly. I held still, afraid that he would try to push me off. When he remained still I began to run my thumbs across his cheekbones.

''Wake up, Gaara. You're JUST dreaming.''

He mumbled something that sounded like my name and I smiled.

''I'm right here, Gaara. But you have to wake up to see me.''

He groaned and I saw his eyelids flutter, his hands tightening on my hips. A moment later his eyes opene, and they widened suddenly as he yanked me down, holding me tightly.

I stared up at him confused and he closed his eyes tightly, a shudder running through his body.

''I had the worst dream. You died. I don't know how, but I was holding your lifeless body. And you were bleeding and no matter what I did I couldn't save you.''

I shook my head and kissed him quickly.

''I'm fine, Gaara. Look at me. Nothing is wrong. It was only a dream.''

He nodded and leaned his cheek against mine.

''I know. But...I felt so helpless. Just having to sit by and watch as your life faded from your eyes.''

He shook his head and I kissed him again, harder this time.

''Enough. There's no point in thinking about it anymore. It was only a dream and can't hurt you. I'm safe and the full moon is over for another month.''

He nodded and closed his eyes, forcing his body to relax.

''You're right. It was just a dream.''

He opened his eyes slightly.

''Let's try to sleep some more. Since the sun has risin Shukaku won't bother me as much.''

I nodded and relaxed against him.

''Good. You need to rest.''

He nodded and kissed my temple.

''Sleep now, Love.''

I yawned and nodded before drifting to sleep.

**Woohoo! Back in Suna. I actually prefer to write with them in that location. I don't know why. **

**But anyways. Thanks for reading! Please ignore any mistakes and I hope that you enjoyed it. **

**I don't own Naruto or any of it's Characters.**

**:)**


	56. Chapter 56

I heard a quiet groan and it reverberated through the chest that pillowed my head. I opened my eyes slowly and looked up to see aqua. Gaara was smiling down at me softly and began to rub my back.

''Goodmorning, Love.''

I smiled.

''Goodmorning, Gaara. Are you feeling better?''

He nodded. ''Yeah. I didn't wake up again until a few minutes ago.''

I nodded. ''That's good. I was hoping that you hadn't. I didn't wake up either and I didn't want you to be alone.''

He shook his head. ''I'm sure that you would have noticed if I'd woken. You normally wake up when I do.''

I nodded and shrugged. ''I feel you moving away sometimes, or if you're really tired and don't want to wake up, you groan.''

He frowned. ''I do?''

I rolled my eyes and nodded.

''Yeah. You do. But I like waking up when you do. It's the only time that I can talk to you without irritated ninja's trying to get your attention.''

He nodded. ''It does seem like I'm getting more complaints then normal. It's mostly because they don't want to do the missions. They've all been minor. No S class or even A class missions.''

I frowned and propped myself up on an elbow.

''Why is that, do you think?''

He shrugged. ''Nobody is having major problems. Wait until winter and summer. Then people will start traveling and the bandits will be out. Things will become chaotic and I will have to send most of the ninjas on back to back missions.''

I rolled my eyes. ''So they just need to shut-up and be patient.''

Gaara smiled and shook his head. ''That wasn't really in the ninja training.''

I shrugged. ''Still. Patience is a virtue.''

He smirked. ''That you don't have yourself.''

I grinned and nodded. ''That's right. But I'm not the one complaining about boring missions.''

He smiled and rolled his eyes, patting my hip lightly.

''Anyways, it's time for me to get up. I have to go to work.''

I wrinkled my nose. ''Ew. Work is evil.''

My eyes widened suddenly and I laughed. ''Oh, wow. I'm going to have issues when I return to Aubry's.''

Gaara's smile fell from his face. ''Do you think that they'll be finished rebuilding soon?'' I shrugged. ''Maybe. With how picky that Salem and Aubry will be I don't know how long it will take them.''

I grinned suddenly and kissed him quickly.

''Oh, well. The more time that they take, the more time I can spend with you.''

He nodded and pushed us to sit up. He looked down at himself before returning teasing eyes to mine.

''Did you enjoy getting me out of my shirt, Love?''

I scoffed and hit his shoulder lightly.

''You're awful.''

He grinned and kissed me before leaving the warm bed and searching through his closet for some clothes. He felt me watching him and smirked at me over his shoulder as he took the clean clothes into the bathroom.

It wasn't until the door closed that I realized that Gaara had mentioned the winter and how close it was. Since we were in the desert it wasn't as cold as it would be at home and so it had slipped my mind.

But I had been wondering for months about the date of Gaara's birthday. I had caught mention of it, but the only helping hint was that it was in the winter months. I would need to get him a gift.

I wrinkled my nose, trying to think of a good gift and was still wearing that expression when Gaara came out of the bathroom in his robes.

I looked him over and frowned. ''You always look so proper when you wear your robes. I think that you should have casual friday.''

He rolled his eyes and shook his head0 as he slipped on his shoes.

''I'll be sure to bring that up to the windbags. I'm sure that they would just LOVE to wear jeans and t-shirts.''

I huffed and crossed my arms. ''Rudeness! See if I ever make a helpful suggestion to you again. You could have just said no.''

I stuck my tongue out and he walked over to me, pulling me into a tight hug.

''I love you, Ria.''

I rolled my eyes and hugged him back. ''Yeah, yeah. I love you too, but that doesn't change the fact that you're still rude.''

His shoulders shook and he kissed me quickly.

''I know. I have to go now, but I'll see you at lunch?''

I nodded and pulled away, sitting on the bed again.

''Yeah. Around that time.''

He nodded and after another brief kiss, grabbed his gourd and disapeared from the room.

I frowned and crossed my arms. Dang ninja's. I yawned suddenly and glanced at the clock that he had sitting on the desk. 6:45? I don't think so. I'm not a morning person and unlike Gaara, I didn't have to be anywhere until noon.

I laid back down, curling under the still warm covers and glanced at the panda that jumped onto the mattress beside me.

I smiled sleepily and scratched his ears gently. I would ask Temari when I got up about Gaara's birthday.

I yawned again and hugged Gaara's pillow, almost instantly falling back asleep.

**Thanks for reading! I hope that you liked it. Review if you like. I love to hear from you guys. **

**I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters. **

**Thanks again!**


	57. Chapter 57

''Temari!''

At my yell the tired girl opened her door, her hair sticking up in random directions and rubbing her eyes.

I guess I woked her up from a deep sleep. Oops.

She yawned and waved me inside her room.

''What's wrong?''

I smiled sheepishly and sat on the stool in front of her vanity.

''Nothing. I'm sorry that I woke you up. It never occureded to me that you would still be sleeping.''

She nodded and glanced at the clock on her wall, her eyes windening.

''I can understand why. Is it really almost noon?''

I nodded and she moved to make her bed. I rolled my eyes at this and looked around her room.

The walls were a light purple and excluding the black clock, didn't hold any decorations.

The floor in this room was a white wood and her bed was big like Gaara's, though the blankets were a lilac purple with small lotus flowers. The vanity that I sat by was white and gold, the wardrobe made of white wood.

I glanced back at Temari and saw that she had finished fussing with her bed and was smiling at me.

''I guess you've never been in my room, huh?''

I shook my head. ''No. But it fits you. I wouldn't have imagined it any other way.''

She nodded and sat on the edge of her bed, looking at me expectantly.

''So what's on your mind? You don't normally look for me specifically.''

I shrugged. ''I was talking to Gaara earlier and I realized that I didn't know when his birthday was. So I thought that I would ask you.''

Her eyes widened and she bit her lip. ''Well...we actually don't celebrate Gaara's birthday.''

I stared at her in surprise. ''Why not?''

She sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a moment.

''Because, in the beginning, it wasn't something to celebrate. With his birth, our mother died, and the village gained a monster. For years Kankuro and I were in fear of our lives.

When Gaara changed, we had fallen into the habit of treating his birthday as a time of mourning and couldn't force ourselves to think of celebrating instead. Kankuro and I don't normally even remember that it's Gaara's birthday until he reminds us that he is another year older. Sometimes it's the next day, or even a WEEK later. ''

I kept my emotions locked up tight, not wanting to show her how much this bothered me. I realized that she hadn't had anything to do with Gaara for years and that I shouldn't be upset with her for not celebrating his birthday. But it just wasn't fair for them to treat the day of his birth like it was some horrible event.

I swallowed hard and kept my voice light.

''I would still like to know the date.''

She sighed and rubbed a hand over her eyes.

''It's January, 19. He was born at night during a full moon.''

I nodded and stood up. ''Thanks, Temari.''

She nodded and watched me as I walked towards the door.

''Don't make a big deal about it, Ria. Or better yet, don't even mention it. Just treat it like any other day.''

I smiled over my shoulder and pulled the door open.

''Thanks for the advice. I'm gonna get dressed now and go to meet Gaara for lunch.''

She nodded and I walked out of her room, closing the door behind me. As soon as I heard the loud click, I let my smile fall from my face and growled softly.

That had to be one of the stupidest things that I had heard. 'Let the day pass like any other.' Just because she didn't want to celebrate Gaara's birthday didn't mean that it SHOULDN'T be celebrated. She was right about not making it into a huge deal, he wouldn't appreciate that, but I could do SOMETHING for him.

I closed the door to Gaara's room a little harder then I had planned and flinched at the loud noise.

I sighed and went to sit on the bed, remembering my first birthday at the Akatsuki.

I hadn't had a party since I had begun to live with my aunt, telling Die that she had claimed that there was nothing to celebrate.

He had scoffed and hugged me tightly, telling me that, though my aunt hadn't been glad that I was alive, he and Dolly were thrilled. That my birth WAS something to celebrate because they loved me and were glad that I had been born. Because I was meant to be with them, and it made them happy to see me everyday and to watch me grow.

Dolly had nodded and led the two of us to the kitchen where a large cookie was laid out on the table. I never had a cake because none of the Akatsuki could make one, but Die brought out candle light things and lit them.

Weasel had frowned at seeing them and leaned close to look at them when they had exploded, covering his face in soot and cookie remains.

I had laughed and watched as Die ran for his life, an enraged Uchiha chasing him, his Sharingan activated.

Needless to say, but the cookie was ruined but I still counted it as one of my favorite birthdays.

Every year they threw me a party, and Salem too once he came to live with us, and they always told us about how happy they were that we had been born.

So how could I NOT throw Gaara a small party? How could I NOT show him how happy I was that he was alive?

I couldn't do all of the things that my adopted family had done for Salem, and me, but I COULD make the day special for him. It was mid November so I had two months to plan.

I frowned and threw some comfortable clothes on. I might need Misa's help. At least to help me keep my plans secret from Temari and Kankuro. From the talk I had with Temari, I knew that they wouldn't aprove.

I smiled and hurried to the kitchen, needing to cook something for Gaara to eat. Even if it was just ME wishing Gaara a happy birthday, I was sure that it would be more then he normally got.

I shook my head. I would need to be careful about not thinking about this around him. He knew when I was hiding things and had recently gotten very good at making me tell him what my secrets were.

I should never have taught him that.

I shrugged and pulled some leftovers from the fridge, needing to hurry. I was already late. And if I wasn't there soon he wouldn't have time to eat.

**Thank you for reading. Please ignore any mistakes that I have made. **

**I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters. **

**Review if you would like and Thanks again for reading.**

**:)**


	58. Chapter 58

I smiled as I surveyed Gaara's room.

Misa had helped me hang red streamers around the room and get balloons from the market into the house without either Temari, or Kankuro seeing them.

I had baked a small cake while Temari was away, and now had it laid out on his desk, a wrapped present laying beside it.

The candles were ready to be lit and I rolled my eyes as I saw the lighter laying off to the side. It had taken me three hours to find it and I realized once I found it, that I didn't even need it. I could light the candle without it.

I tried to think if I had forgotten anything and shrugged. Truthfully it was too late now to do anything else.

I heard Temari's footsteps on the stairs and rolled my eyes. She and Knakuro had been depressed for about a week, and Gaara had been avoiding the house as much as possible.

If it wasn't for my constant whining about being cooped up in his office, I knew that he would drag me with him and not leave again until they were in better moods.

I bit my lip as I heard the downstairs door slam and started fidgeting nervously at Temari's voice.

''Gaara? I didn't know that you were coming home early today.''

I heard a deep rumble which was followed soon after by the sound of slow footsteps on the stairs.

I ran towards the door as it opened and threw myself into Gaara's arms, catching him by surprise.

He smiled at me and walked us fully into the room, shutting the door with his foot.

Once the door closed, he kissed me deeply and I had to remind myself that I couldn't just kiss him today.

I pulled away and smiled.

''Happy birthday, Gaara.''

He drew in a ragged breath and searched my face. A moment later his eyes closed and he burried his face in my neck, his voice muffled.

''Thank you, Love.''

I laughed and hugged him tightly before pulling away, waving a hand around the room.

''Now that you're here, we can start your party.''

His eyes widened and he looked around his room, his mouth gaping slightly.

''Wh...What is all this?''

I laughed and pushed him into his chair, reaching around him to light his candles.

''This is your party. I actually got up when you left this morning for once. I had to do a lot of this early because I had to sneak it in. And Misa helped me with keeping your siblings distracted.''

He shook his head and I pulled my hands away from the cake, resting them on his shoulders.

''Okay, Hon. Make a wish and blow out the candles.''

He looked at me and bit his lip.

''What do I wish for?''

I shrugged and ruffled his hair.

''Whatever you want.''

He nodded and after a brief pause, drew in a deep breath and blew out all of the candles.

He leaned back and rested his head against my chest.

''Do I tell you what I wished for?''

I shook my head. ''Nope. It may not come true if you tell me.''

He stood and turned to look at me, his expression serious.

''If I tell you, the wish WILL come true.''

I frowned and tilted my head. ''Alright...''

He held out his arms. ''I want you to dance with me.''

I laughed and nodded, walking into his opened arms.

''I would be happy to dance with you Gaara.''

He smiled softly and reached onto the desk, hitting a few buttons on a radio that sat there.

A soft melody began to play and Gaara led me into a slow dance.

He pulled me close to him and I sighed, resting my cheek against his chest.

''I like this wish.''

He smiled and tightened his arms. ''You are the only person that is happy to celebrate my birthday. Temari and Kankuro forget, and most of the village doesn't know.''

He stopped our movements and pushed me away slightly.

''How did YOU know when my birthday was, Love?''

I shrugged and smiled. ''I asked your sister about two months ago.''

He blinked at me. ''You've been planning this since NOVEMBER?''

I smiled sheepishly and nodded. ''Yeah. I know it's not a lot, but...''

He crushed me to him and shook his head. ''No, Love. This is perfect. I knew that you've been planning something, but it never occurred to me that you were throwing me a PARTY.''

I laughed. ''This isn't much of a party. It's just the two of us, but...I DID get you a present.''

He shook his head and I pushed away from him to grab the carefully wrapped object from the desk.

''It's not much, and I couldn't find anything that I KNEW you would like. You are the hardest person in the UNIVERSE to shop for.''

He smiled sheepishly. ''Sorry. But you know that you didn't have to get me a gift. I would have been happy with you remembering my birthday.''

I shook my head violently. ''You might have been okay with that but I wouldn't have been. You deserve to have your birth celebrated, and a part of that is getting presents, so...''

I held the package out to him and he took it, hesitantly tearing off the paper.

He paused once the paper was gone and smiled softly as he saw the object the paper had hidden.

It was a hand carved, wooden raccoon, painted to look like the real thing.

I had seen it in the market and it had instantly reminded me of Gaara. I shrugged.

''I thought that you might use it as a paper weight. If you don't like it we can return it and you can pick out something for yourself.''

He pulled the statue to him protectively and shook his head. ''No. I like it.''

He grinned, suddenly. ''Though I'm beginning to see a pattern in the things that you like, Love.'' He closed his eyes and touched the dark ring that surrounded it. ''Me, Panda's, and Raccoons. We all have rings around our eyes.''

I giggled and wrapped my arms around his waist, rubbing my nose against his. He returned the gesture and I grinned, glad that he had gotten used to that sign of affection by now.

''I hadn't really thought that much into it, but I know that you're all so CUTE.''

He rolled his eyes playfully and I kissed him quickly before pulling away, taking the figure from him, and placing it on the desk.

''You know, Love? The statue kinda reminds me of Shukaku, and since you think that racoons are cute...you called Shukaku cute.''

I laughed and nodded. ''I guess I did. But he's a part of you and I think that you're adorable, so he has to be at least a LITTLE bit cute.''

I saw Gaara roll his eyes and he pulled me back to him and kissed me again.

His hands had just tangled in my hair when a knock on the door caused him to growl into my mouth and tighten his arms. Trying to ignore the sound.

A moment later there was another knock, this time followed by Temari's voice.

''Gaara? Is everything alright?''

Gaara pulled away and glared at the door.

''Everything is fine, Temari. Why?''

There was a pause and her voice was hesitant as she spoke.

''Well...You came home early and I guess it worried me a little bit.''

I 'ahhd' and received a glare from Gaara.

''Ria wanted me to have lunch here today. I think that she's gotten sick of the Kazekage Tower.''

I made a disgusted noise and copied a blond ninja's favorite saying.

''Believe it!''

Gaara shot me a horrified look and Temari laughed. ''Alright. Since I know that everything's alright, I'm going out for a little bit and...is it okay if I take Butterball? I promise not to let him out of my sight.''

I looked at Gaara and he hesitated before sighing. ''Yeah. Just be sure to watch him.''

I heard the relief in her voice as she thanked him and shook my head. We hadn't let Temari take Butterball anywhere since the wedding fiasco, and she seemed extremely sorry for every using him in that way.

I looked back up at Gaara and found his eyes filled with sadness. I frowned and tilted my head.

''What's wrong, Honey?''

He smiled sadly. ''Temari is going to our mothers grave. She died today.''

I sighed. ''Yeah. So I've heard.''

He swallowed hard. ''I killed her, Love. Not intentionally, but...there was a choice between her life and mine, I guess my life was chosen.

I took away the happiness from Temari and Kankuro's family, the one ray of sunshine they had in the blackness. It's my fault that she's dead. If I hadn't been born, then she would still be alive. The village would have never had to fear Shukaku. The villagers...''

I placed my fingers over his mouth, silencing him and shook my head.

''The villagers would not have the best Kazekage that Suna has ever seen.''

He ducked his head and I cupped his cheek, forcing him to look at me.

''Gaara, sweetheart, if you hadn't been born, most of the things that you blame yourself for would STILL have happened. Just to a different person.

Yes, your mother would still be alive, but someone elses mother wouldn't be. The village would be SO messed up because you wouldn't have lived to change things.

Shukaku would have been put into a different child and there is no telling what HE might have done. He could have been better OR worse.''

I smiled sadly and shook my head. ''If you were never born, I wouldn't know about these feelings that I feel with you. You are one of the best things to happen to Suna, your friends, AND me. Don't let some stupid tradition that your siblings have make you sad.''

I grinned. ''If you really want people to celebrate your birthday, then I will gladly find Matsuri and let her go crazy in throwing you a party. Which will probably even involve a parade.''

Gaara growled suddenly. ''I don't want a parade. But I wish that for ONCE, my siblings would wish me a happy birthday ON THE DAY.''

I sighed and leaned my head against his chest, wrapping my arms around him tightly.

''I know. I'm sorry.''

He shook his head and kissed the crown of my head. ''It's not your fault, Love. Look what YOU'VE done today. You spent months planning a party for someone that for most of his life no one even wanted to exist.''

I shook my head. ''Can you take the rest of the day off? You need a break.''

He shook his head. ''Not the rest of the day, but I think that I can stay long enough to take a nap.''

I nodded. ''Okay. Do you want some of your cake before you lay down?''

He shook his head. ''I'm sorry, but I don't feel like eating right now.''

I smiled up at him. ''You don't have to apologize. You're upset. Let's just go lay down, okay?''

He nodded and pulled away from me, stripping out of his robes and shoes. I followed him and let him pull me close, his hands running through my hair gently.

''Thank you for the party, Love.''

I nodded. ''Next year, I'll make sure to throw you a bigger one. One with more people...and your siblings. Even if I have to drug and drag them.''

He smiled and kissed me. ''I liked our party. I don't need anyone else but you.''

I shook my head, but let it drop not wanting to upset him anymore. ''Go to sleep, Gaara. I love you.''

He nodded and closed his eyes. ''I love you too, Ria. Thank you.''

I smiled and kissed his forehead, watching him drift off to sleep.

/

I was startled awake when the body that held me stiffened suddenly. I opened my eyes and found Gaara staring fearfully at the ceiling.

I frowned and laid my hand on his side. ''What's wrong?''

His eyes shifted to mine. ''I heard a scream.''

I sat up quickly and looked at him with wide eyes. ''What?''

He shook his head and shrugged. ''It wasn't real, Love. It was just a part of my dream. But it woke me up.''

I sighed and relaxed. ''Don't scare me like that again. I thought that someone was hurt and you didn't go check because you didn't want to leave me alone.''

I groaned and flung my body on top of his, causing him to 'oof.'

His arms came around me and I lifted my head to look at him as he spoke.

''Hello, there, Love.''

I grinned. ''I wanted to lay back down.''

He smirked. ''I don't mind. You just knocked the air from my lungs.''

I shrugged. ''Yeah, but you like it when I lay on you like this.''

He nodded and kissed me quickly. ''You're right. I do. And I can hold you closer this way.''

I smiled and nuzzled into his chest. ''I don't want you to go back to work.''

He sighed and began to pull his fingers through my hair. ''I don't want to go back either. But I have too.''

I sighed and shook my head. For some reason I had a really bad feeling about him leaving.

''Would you like to go with me?''

I shook my head and kissed his shoulder. ''No. I better not. You're ninja's don't seem to like me there during your working hours.''

Gaara growled and tightened his arms. ''They'll get over it.''

I laughed. ''With you glaring at them whenever they even look at me, I would imagine that they wouldn't have a choice.''

Outwardly. Inwardly, they would still be just as aggrivated with my presence as before...if not more so.

Gaara's evil smirk caugh my attention and he nodded.

''They wouldn't. I like having you with me and if they don't agree with that, then I'll...''

I kissed him, breaking off his threat and causing him to groan. He tangled his hands in my hair and deepened the kiss. It was harsh and I couldn't stop wondering about what was WRONG with him. It was like he had a major bloodlust tonight and I couldn't understand WHY.

I pulled away after a few minuts, having to breathe and Gaara smirked at me. He was pulling me down to kiss him again when a loud bang from downstairs caused me to jump. It was followed by a laugh and I looked at Gaara who was glaring at the door.

''Kankuro's way of dealing with our mother's death is to get drunk.''

My mouth fell open and I frowned. ''Are you serious?''

He nodded, but didn't get a chance to do more then that since Kankuro had begun banging on Gaara's door.

''Hey, Gaara!''

I rolled my eyes as I heard the slur of his voice.

''C'mon, baby brother. Open the door.''

He hicupped suddenly and I turned wide eyes to Gaara.

''What did he do with Misa?''

Gaara shrugged. ''Not my problem.''

I scoffed and smacked his shoulder sharply. He jumped in surprise and stared at me, his mouth gaping.

''Did you just HIT me?''

I shook my head. ''No. I smacked you. It's completely different.''

He frowned. ''How so?''

I shrugged and tried to ignore Kankuro's slurred ramblings. ''Well, you hit someone with the intention to cause pain, but you smack someone when you want to show the person that you're irritated without words. And smacking someone doesn't normaly hurt the person.''

Gaara's eyes narrowed and his arms tightened around me.

''I don't think that there's an ACTUAL difference, Ria.''

I gulped. It wasn't normally a good thing when he used my name in that tone of voice.

I smiled at him sweetly and shrugged. ''Oh, don't be mad, Gaara.''

I leaned down and began to lay light kisses to his neck, feeling his body relax.

He sighed. ''Fine. I'm not mad, Love. Just a bit stunned.''

I smiled against his skin. Stunned I could handle. But his anger tonight wasn't something that I was sure I could deal with.

''Why did you 'smack' me anyways?''

I shrugged. ''You said that what Kankuro had done with Misa wasn't your problem.'' Gaara pulled on my hair gently, wanting me to meet his eyes.

''It's not, Love. Whatever they do in their relationship has nothing to do with me.''

I groaned and rolled my eyes. ''What is it with guys and their being unconcerned about their friends wellbeing?''

No matter how many years I had spent around men it never failed to surprise me about how callous they were when it came to their friends love lives or feelings.

I shook my head and Gaara shrugged suddenly.

''Misa isn't really my friend though, Love. She's yours.''

I nodded. ''I know that. But Kankuro is your BROTHER. AND drunk, but you don't seemed to care about that either.''

Gaara smirked and shook his head. ''Kankuro getting drunk is nothing knew, Love. And nothing has come from it before. So I don't see the point in worrying about him.''

I frowned. If he acts like YOU do when intoxicated, then I would say that there is DEFINANT cause to worry. At least for Misa.

I growled suddenly. ''You're such a jerk sometimes.''

He rolled his eyes and smiled. ''I think that we've established that. But as long as you love me, I don't see a reason for me to change.''

I stuck my tongue out at him and he grinned, pulling me down to kiss him. I sighed against his mouth, only to pull away to laugh as Kankuro began singing loudly...and off-key.

I rested my head against Gaara's shoulder, giggling softly. I guess that Kankuro is just a funny drunk.

The singing began to fade slightly and Gaara sighed.

''I think that he's finally going to his room. He'll need to sleep that off.''

I snorted. ''I hope that he has a hangover when he wakes up.''

Gaara looked at me in surprise. ''Is there a reason why you're wishing for my brother to be sick?''

I shrugged. ''Not really. I just don't see the point in getting drunk when you're trying to forget things. It may work for a short time, but once that haze wears off you not only have to deal with the pain again, but you're sick from drinking as well. It's stupid.''

Gaara paused for a moment before speaking. ''Did the men in the Akatsuki drink?''

I frowned. ''You're meaning the men I was around, right? Dolly, Die, and Weasel?''

He nodded and I shrugged. ''Die and Weasel would have maybe two or three drinks, but Dolly refused to even touch anything with alcohol. He didn't want his senses dulled. And he didn't like the taste.''

Gaara nodded. ''That explains your dislike of it then. I've realized years ago that when a parent hates something, the child will normally hate that thing as well.''

I saw the sad light that entered his eyes and realized that Gaara was talking about his childhood. If the adults hadn't been scared of Gaara then the children wouldn't have been either. But because of the parents warning them to stay far away from him, they had grown to hate and fear him.

I sighed and nuzzled into his neck, beginning to run my fingeres through his hair.

''Don't think about that, Gaara. That older generation is wiser now and know better. And this new generation loves you. They can't see you as anything other then their great leader.''

I grinned suddenly and pulled back to look at him.

''I was in the park with Misa the other day and even saw some young children arguing over who got to play your character in a game. It was funny how the children see you.''

He smiled and kissed my forehead, speaking against my skin.

''I have to leave now.''

I whinned and moved to look at him.

''Really?''

He nodded and flipped us suddenly so he could lay on top of me, nuzzling my neck gently before standing up.

''I'll see you tonight, Love.''

I sat up and sighed. ''Yeah, I guess. Since you HAVE to leave me.''

He smiled hesitantly. ''I...I love you, Ria.''

I blinked at the hesitation in his voice and moved to stand in front of him, searching his eyes. I could feel that something was wrong but there was nothing in his expression that hinted to what it was.

Gaara frowned and wrapped his arms around me.

''Is something wrong, Love?''

I shook my head, wanting to ask him the same and forcing myself to keep from asking him to not leave. He needed to go be the Kazekage and I needed to get over this paranoia that I was having.

I leaned up to kiss him quickly before pulling away with a smile.

''I'm sure it's nothing. I'll see you later, okay?''

He nodded and pulled on his robes and gourd before walking towards the door. He gave me one more hesitant look over his shoulder before walking out the door and closing it behind him.

I sighed once I heard the front door close and walked towards the window. One thing that I had learned abou Gaara was that he had to have a clear view of the moon, and this window made it where he could easily see it rise.

I smiled and thought about his expression as he watched the pale sphere take over for the scorching Suna sun. It was unguarded and though he tried to be open with me, it was only when he was watching the moon that he lost any insecurities, and worry.

I shook my head and sighed as I remembered the last full moon. Shukaku had been gaining strength rapidly, and was now as fully healed as he could be. Tormenting Gaara with the worst visions, causing Gaara to cause himself harm.

As soon as the sun set he had begun to cry out and drag his nails across his arms. I hadn't been able to get to him before he had caused some damage, but for the rest of the night I had had to pin his hands down, though he broke free a few times and by the end of the night had bloody marks on his arms and sides.

When I had finally calmed him down it was only an hour until sunrise and he had left the room without a word, still in a daze.

I had found him sitting on the roof, staring up at the moon. I knew that I couldn't leave him alone and had wrapped the blanket that I had brought with me around us, snuggling into his side, waiting out the night.

I shook the memories from my head and looked towards the rising moon, stumbling away from the window with a surprised gasp.

Instead of the sliver of silver that I had expected, a full sphere stared back at me, the face in it visibly smiling. As if laughing at my obliviousness to it's cycle.

I took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the bed, my legs wanting to buckle.

Maybe everything would be alright. Gaara hadn't seemed MUCH different when he left. And he had dealt with this for years...so he could handle this one night alone, right?

I groaned and let my head fall into my hands as my unsypathetc brain reminded me that Gaara HAD dealt with Shukaku for years, but for 13 of those years had killed someone every full moon and the rest of the time took the night off from being Kazekage because he didn't want to risk the chance of losing control if made angry.

But now he was at his office, probably surrounded by people that didn't realize that Shukaku was still around and causing him torment every full moon.

I growled and tried to smother the annoying voice. Gaara would be FINE. I just needed to take my mind off of this. I stood up and walked towards the door. I would bake. Yeah. Making cookies seemed like a good idea.

As I opened the door, I heard the front door swing open and a terrified voice yelled up the stairs.

''Temari, Kankuro! Help!''

I ran down the stairs and nearly collided with Matsuri, who instantly grabed my wrist and pulled me towards the door.

''There...There's something wrong with Kazekage-sensei. He hurt one of the council members. He's locked himself inside his office and there's awful noises coming from the inside. It...It's almost like he still has the Shukaku?''

She gave me a frightened look and I made a shrugging motion causing her to groan.

''Oh, no. He does, doesn't he?''

I nodded and she made a scared noise before pulling me into the Tower. I saw that a group of men were standing in the reception room, one of them cradeling a twisted and bleeding arm.

He shot me a glare when he saw me and sneered.

''We sent you to get Temari or Kankuro, Matsuri. Not HER.''

I frowned at the way he looked at me and put my hands on my hips.

''Temari and Kankuro are indisposed at the moment, so you're stuck with me. Sorry.''

Another of the council members stepped forwards, his hands raised.

''As long as you can calm the Kazekage down, I don't care who you are.''

I nodded and looked towards the closed door as a loud bang sounded from the room.

''What happened to make him so angry?''

The man with the bleeding arm huffed and glared at me.

''That is between myself and the Kazekage.''

I glarred. ''Look. If you want me to help, then you need to tell me what got him upset. If not, then I can just leave and YOU can deal with this.''

I saw all of their eyes widen and the man frowned.

''I mentioned that I and another council member were looking for him an apporpriate spouse.''

I rolled my eyes and three of the other council members turned towards the bleeding man, beginning arguing with him.

I smirked at Matsuri and shook my head.

''More competition, huh?''

Her eyes widened. ''Are you not concerned? He is serious about wanting Gaara to date someone else.''

I shrugged. ''You know as well as I do that Gaara won't do anything like that if he doesn't want too.''

She nodded and I moved towards the door, preparing to burn it down, though a hesitant voice stopped me.

''We...we would prefer if you didn't destroy that door. It is an artifact from the first Kazekage.''

I groaned and looked towards him. ''So you want me to try to calm an enraged Kazekage down through a closed door?''

They shrugged and I shook my head before knocking on the door.

''Gaara? Can I come in?''

I heard a shuffling noise and a second later sand wrapped around my waist and pulled me through the suddenly opened door, before slamming it closed again.

Only the moon lit the room and I looked around, finding a mess: The couch had been tipped over, the desk propped up on it's end against the wall, the papers and scrolls torn.

The bookshelves were all turned over, the books thrown carlessly around the room. I saw a movement from a dark corner of the room and flinched as I saw Gaara, the shadows not hiding the sticky, red substance that fell from the wounds on his face and neck.

I took a hesitant step towards him, my arms outstretched.

''Gaara...''

His sudden movement caused me to freeze and he was suddenly behind me, a kunai held to my neck, his mouth close to my ear.

I forced myself to relax, reaching a hand up to grasp his, not trying to pull it away but releasing a sigh as I felt how steady it was.

He drew in a deep breath, like he was smelling me and growled, causing my hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. That wasn't Gaara's voice.

''So they sent you to calm down the angry Kazekage? Probably the smartest thing they've ever done.''

I bit my lip and forced myself to not move, aware of the kunai that was still at my throat.

''Shukaku?''

He chuckled darkly. ''Correct. And you are, Ria. It is nice to finally meet you in person. Though, as you know, this isn't MY true form. But I decided to borrow it.''

He pulled away from me, slicing my neck shallowly, speaking over his shoulder as I wipped away the small trickle of blood.

''You really should be more cautius though, dear. If you walked into any other creatures den when he was enraged, you could be seriously hurt.''

I shrugged and moved to perch on the edge of the overturned couch. ''That may be true, but I wouldn't be going into a creature 'den' if it wasn't Gaara's. Though, Shukaku, I would prefer it if you didn't refer to me as 'dear.'''

He frowned and tapped the corner of his mouth with the still bloody Kunai.

''And why is that?''

I frowned. ''Because it reminds me of the Snakeman.''

I saw him pause before he nodded. ''Orochimaru? I can understand why you would hate that, then.''

He grinned. ''So, GIRL, I have to say that I'm glad that I'm finally getting a chance to speak with you. You've been doing a good job of helping the boy keep control. And he probably wouldn't have even lost it tonight if it weren't for that council member. Do you know what he told us?''

I shrugged. ''He said that he wanted to find Gaara a better spouse.''

Shukaku snorted. ''He busted into the office claiming that he had found the perfect candidate for the boy to marry, she had a good bloodline and would unite Suna to another village. When the boy declined the offer the man became angry and let it slip that HE was the one that organized the attack on you.''

Shukaku laughed and I forced back a shudder. ''Can you imagine how angry the boy was? Visions of what you looked like after the attack kept flashing through his mind...it was magnificent. He lost control briefly and crushed the mans arm, though he threw him from the room before doing anything else.'' He shook his head. ''It took me ten minutes to take control after that. Much longer then it used too.''

I nodded, keeping my anger at the council member pushed to the side. ''Are you going to let Gaara have control of his body, again?''

He nodded and waved a hand in a dismissive geture. ''Of course. I'm not strong enough to keep control for more then an hour. Two at the most.'' He shrugged. ''And you humans annoy me. All of the fickle emotions...''

He shook his head in disgust and took something out of his robe, turning it over in his hands. After a moment I recognised the paperweight that I had bought for Gaara.

''Now tell me, girl: What makes you think that racoons are cute?''

I shrugged, wondering what the point of this conversation was. ''I don't know. I just do. They look like little burglers.''

Shukaku rolled his eyes and set the figurine on a tipped over bookcase. ''I wondered about you in the beginning. Before the boy even realized that I was still around. I feel things that the boy feels, and the things that he feels for you are more intense feelings then I have felt in a long time. If you had hurt him, I would have felt that pain like it was my own. And though it would have caused him to revert back to the way he used to be, it could also have led to him killing himself, and I didn't have the strength to stop him like I did when he was younger.

But you turned out to be more help to him then anyone else. Even that lying uncle of his.''

I frowned and crossed my arms. ''You seem to care about Gaara, Shukaku. Why do you torment him if you care?''

He snarled. ''The only reason I care about the boys feelings is because he is my vessal, and if he kills himself, I die as well.''

I frowned before shaking my head. ''You're lying. You DO care about, Gaara. Not just because he's your vessal. You feel a bond with him.''

Shukaku growled and I hid a shudder as he walked towards me. He pulled me up harshly and I winced as I crashed into his chest, his arms tight around my upper arms.

''I can't hurt you because the boy will not let me, but understand when I tell you that if you ever confuse my self preservation with caring again, the next time that I take control, I will kill one of the villagers. And not even the boy will be able to stop me.''

I nodded, swallowing hard and he loosened my arms from his bruising grip.

''Good. We will have to wait and see, but I think that the boy might have picked a good mate for himself. I'll have to tell him how to keep you.''

I frowned and was about to ask what he meant when he pressed his lips to mine bruisingly and bitting my lip, causing it to bleed. I whimpered and pulled away only to have Gaara's body to slump into my arms with a groan.

We sunk to the floor and he squinted up at me, his eyes their normal aqua shade. He sighed and rested against me.

''Hi, Love.''

I smiled and kissed his forehead. ''Hi, Gaara. Are you alright.''

He nodded. ''Yeah. I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I had hoped that you would never have to meet Shukaku.''

I sighed and shook my head. ''It's alright. Excluding that threat at the end, he wasn't so bad to talk to.''

Gaara nodded and took a look around the room. ''I need to clean this up.''

I shook my head. ''You can clean tomorrow. Let's just go home tonight. It's late and you normally would have sent everyone else home by now.''

He sighed. ''Are they all still out there?''

I nodded. ''They were when I came in here. Even the man that you mauled.''

He flinched and closed his eyes. ''He was the reason that you were hurt. You were in such pain, for WEEKS and it was all his fault. And then it turns out, that he wants me to MARRY some chick that only wants me because I'm the KAZEKAGE.''

He was getting angry again and I kissed him quickly. ''Enough. Don't think about it right now. You're tired and stressed and angry tonight. Let's just forget that any of this happened for right now and we'll deal with it in the morning. Sound like a plan?''

He smiled slightly and nodded. ''Alright.''

He stood up pulling me with him and I traced one of the rapidly healing lines that lined his face.

''You hurt yourself again. I hate it when you do that.''

He nodded and shrugged. ''I know. But I couldn't help it.''

I sighed. ''I know. At least we're finished with another full moon for a month.''

He nodded and paused before opening the door. ''We need to tell my siblings about Shukaku. Tomorrow morning. Otherwise they'll hear about what happened tonight from someone else.''

I nodded. ''Yeah. That would be bad.''

He sighed and drew his shoulders back before opening the door and walking out, like nothing had happened. All eyes turned towards him fearfully, the silence almost deafening.

Gaara paused and pointed to the man with the twisted arm. ''Matsuri, place that man under house arrest until I can figure out what to do with him tomorrow.''

Matsuri's eyes widened and one of the council members took a step forward. ''But, Kazekage-sama, this is highly innappropriet.''

Gaara sent him a glare and the man instantly shut his mouth, his eyes lowering to the floor quickly. Matsuri grabbed the injured mans good arm, ignoring his protests, as she turned to Gaara.

''Should I get a medical ninja to heal his arm?''

Gaara sneered before nodding. ''Fine. But make sure that he isn't left unguarded.''

She nodded and pulled the man towards the door, the other council members looking on in stunned silence. They turned back to Gaara with curious eyes and he raised a hand.

''I will explain everything in our meeting tomorrow morning. But tonight, we all need some sleep.''

They nodded and I saw the secretary move towards us slowly, holding a letter out to me. I frowned but took it, looking at the writing on the front of the envelope.

I sighed as I recognized the hand-writing before moving to follow Gaara, who was already leaving the tower.

Once outside, Gaara gave me a curious look and I shook my head.

''I'll tell you when we get home, you're just going to get angry again.''

He frowned but nodded, quickly pulling me to him and transporting us into his bedroom. I sighed, hoping that I would have at least had the walk home to think of what to say to him. He dropped the gourd to the floor and stripped out of his robes before sitting on the edge of the bed.

He looked at me expectantly and I handed him the envelope which had my name printed on it, in Salem's writing.

Gaara took the letter with a confused look and I shrugged. ''I haven't read it yet but I'm sure that I know what it says.''

He frowned and I watched him for a moment, seeing his expression cloud with anger, before I looked to the floor, wringing my hands.

''They're finished with the rebuilding.''

I nodded, refusing to look at him. ''I figured.''

He crumpled the letter and threw it across the room. ''Salem said that if you weren't back within three days that he was coming to Suna and dragging you back.''

I nodded again. ''Yeah.''

Gaara growled suddenly and stood in front of me. ''Will you LOOK at me?!''

My eyes instantly flew to his and I bit my lip at his angry gaze. ''I don't want you to leave. I like having you with ME. This just isn't fair. Salem should be able to deal with not having you, he has Toru. But I need you with ME.''

He snarled and grabbed my upper arms, reminding me of what Shukaku had done earlier, only without the harsh grip.

''You are MINE, Ria.''

I frowned, not liking him refering to me like a possesion. ''You don't own me, Gaara.''

He shook his head and let go of my arms, sinking back to the edge of the bed.

''That's not what I mean. I...I'm not good at explaining this. You're not an object, and I know that I don't 'own' you. But...you ARE mine. Just like I am YOURS.''

I bit my lip, trying to understand what he meant. I walked towards him and he instanly drew me closer, leaning his face against my stomach.

''I don't think that I can survive without you, Ria. I've been alone most of my life and I don't think that I can handle it anymore. Don't leave me alone.''

I sighed and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, stroking his hair gently.

''I can't leave you, Gaara. At least not for very long, or without being miserable.''

I pulled on his hair and he tilted his head to look up at me, his eyes sad. ''I won't ever leave you completely, unless you tell me you don't want me. Okay?''

He sighed and shrugged. ''I would prefer it if you didn't leave me at ALL.''

I shook my head and he pulled away, stripping off his shirt.

''Let's just go to bed. We'll talk about your leaving tomorrow. But for tonight, I'm just too tired for this.''

I nodded and went to change into pajamas. When I got back, the light was off and he was fast asleep.

I smiled softly as I crawled in beside him and he mumbled, wrapping his arms around me instantly.

He was really tired if he went to sleep this quickly. I shook my head and nuzzled into his chest. There was a lot that we would have to deal with in the morning, but for the moment all we really needed was sleep.

I sighed and closed my eyes, falling to sleep quickly.

**Hope you enjoyed it! Review if you would like. Please ignore any mistakes.**

**I do not own Naruto or it's characters. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**:)**


	59. Chapter 59

I felt Gaara moving and cracked my eyes open to look at him. He smiled and pushed the hair from my face gently.

''Goodmorning, Love.''

I groaned and closed my eyes briefly.

''Is it morning, already?''

He smiled. ''I think that it was morning when we went to bed. But we've been asleep for at least four hours.''

I nodded and snuggled into his chest.

''Good. Then we have an excuse to stay in bed for a while longer''

He shook his head. ''No, Love. I need to go to work soon.''

I shook my head. ''You were there late yesterday.''

He nodded. ''And I'll be going in late today.''

I smiled. ''Good.''

He sighed and began to draw circles on my back. ''I'm going to go back to Aubry's with you. And if anyone argues, I can always remind them about the ninja's that attacked you. I can tell them that I want to make sure that you get there safely. We'll need to leave tomorrow morning.''

I groaned. ''You and your mornings. But that gives me some time. I still need to tell Misa, wherever your brother left her.''

Gaara shrugged. ''I'm sure that she's wandered back by now.''

I frowned. ''You make her sound like a dog.''

He rolled his eyes before frowning suddenly. ''We also have to tell my siblings about Shukaku.''

I nodded. ''And you have that mess in your office that needs to be cleaned up. It's gonna be a busy day.''

He nodded. ''Which is why we need to get up.''

I yawned and shook my head. ''No. Give me another four hours and then we'll see.'' Gaara growled softly and rolled on top of me, propping his head up on an elbow and looking down at me.

''No, Ria. Now. We don't have a lot of time to waste today. And we DEFINITLY don't have another four hours.''

I pouted up at him.

''Fine. But if I get cranky, I'm telling your ninjas that it's your fault.''

He nodded.

''I normally get blamed for everything anyways.''

I rolled my eyes at his dramatics.

''Whatever. Pity party for one, please.''

He glarred. ''Very funny, Love.''

I laughed and he glared at me for a moment, before pulling me up so fast my head spun.

I blinked and frowned at him once my equilibrium returned.

''Did you just use your ninja speed to force me out of bed?''

He smirked and nodded.

''I believe that I did. Do you have a problem with that?''

I glared.

''Yeah. I do.''

He shrugged and smiled smugly.

''Too bad. It's not like there's anything that you can do about it, now.''

I raised an eyebrow at him and put my hands on my hips.

''Oh really?''

He nodded and I smiled sweetly. I placed my hands on his chest, and after an impish grin, tackled him. Both of us falling onto the bed.

I pinned him and he looked up at me with wide eyes.

I giggled. ''I guess I CAN do something about us getting up, huh?''

His lips twitched in amusement and he wrapped his arms around my hips.

''Apparently. Though I really didn't expect you to tackle me to the bed. You don't normally do that.''

His eyes sparkled suddenly and his arms tightened around me, crushing me to him. ''Though I wouldn't mind if you did that again. Preferably when we have more time to spend in bed.''

My mouth fell open and I frowned at him. I still wasn't used to this new perverted side that came out sometimes.

''Gaara! Seriously, who have you been around that talks like that?''

He shrugged. ''Naruto. And this is your fault. You tackled me to the bed.''

I shook my head. ''No. This is YOUR fault. You made me get up.''

He shook his head in deniel and I lifted myself slightly, beginning to poke at his ribs. He gasped and began to wiggle, trying to get away from me.

One of the things that I had learned about Gaara, was that he was ticklish in his upper ribs and where his neck met his shoulder.

I found it funny that he could be serious one moment and the next his body could be shaking wth silent laughter.

I smiled and kissed him gently, stopping my tickling.

He groaned and tried to catch his breath.

''You cheated again.''

I laughed and shook my head.

''You know my saying, Gaara. All's fair in love and war. And anyways, I want to know who decided what was cheating and what wasn't in the first place. Is there a book that gives you the 'rules' of how to act while in a relationship? And who gave them the right to decide what's right and wrong to begin with?''

Gaara's body was shaking in silent laughter, his eyes crinkled at the edges and he kissed my nose.

''I love you. You and your strange thoughts.''

I smiled sheepishly.

''I love you too.''

He grinned and I saw the playful light that entered his eyes a second before he threw me off of him and onto the other side of the bed.

I gasped and glared at the now standing Kazekage as he stared down at me with an innocent expresion.

''Come along, Love. We need to go get my siblings.''

I sighed and rolled off of the bed, following him from the room.

''You know, you are really rude. And the only guy I know of that would willingly throw his girlfriend from him when they are laying like that.''

He stopped and looked at me curiously.

''Why? You were just laying on me. You do that all of the time.''

I rolled my eyes. ''I'm not explaining it.''

He shrugged. ''Whatever. I don't really have time to convince you otherwise. You're still so stubborn. And I need to talk to my siblings.''

I nodded. ''I'll go get Temari.''

I walked past him, only to have him grab my arm and pull me to a stop.

''I think you should wake up Kankuro. I've seen him drunk enough to know that he sleeps in the nude, and I don't want to deal with that right now.''

My mouth fell open and I turned to return to his room.

''Forget it, Hon. You're on your own. I'm going back to bed.''

Gaara grinned and wrapped his arms around me, kissing me quickly.

''I was teasing, Love. I wouldn't let you near Kankuro after he's drank. Also, I want you to come to work with me today.''

I sighed and nodded.

''Alright. I figured as much. Will you let me go wake your sister up now?''

He nodded and released my arm.

''Yeah. Meet us downstairs, okay?''

I nodded and went to knock on Temari's door while Gaara walked inside of Kankuro's room.

Temari opened her door rather quickly and I saw that her eyes were bloodshot.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

''What's wrong, Ria?''

I bit my lip trying to ignore her irritated tone.

''Gaara needs to speak with you. He said to meet him downstairs.''

Temari's eyes widened and she walked towards the stairs, leaving me to hurry after her.

We reached the living room and I pointed to the couch.

''It might be better if you sit down.''

She nodded and flopped onto the couch, turning an irritated look to the side of me. I turned and found Gaara leading his brother downstairs.

Temari pointed at her siblings.

''Where are your shirts? And Gaara! You look like you just rolled out of bed.''

I grinned and Gaara shot me a glare.

''Because I DID. And I didn't look this bad until SOMEONE decided that she didn't want to get up, and tackled and pinned me to the bed.''

Temari's eyes widened and Kankuro began to laugh.

''Ria was pinning you to the bed? And you STILL got up? Baby brother what is WRONG with you?''

I ignored Temari's embarrased blush and sighed in mock disapointment.

''Not just that, but he THREW me off of him. Just so he could go to work.''

Kankuro laughed harder and I saw Gaara frown in confussion as his brother spoke. ''Gaara. If Misa ever tackled and pinned ME to the bed, I can promise you that I wouldn't be getting up for a WHILE. Though I might have to change things up a bit and pin HER.''

Gaara sighed and shook his head.

''I needed to get up and get ready for the day.''

Temari even chuckled at this and Gaara shot me a pleading look.

''I don't understand.''

I rolled my eyes and moved to squeeze his hand quickly.

''Don't worry about it, Gaara. Kankuro is a pervert.''

Gaara nodded and I turned towards the elder boy.

''What did you do with Misa by the way? I know that she wouldn't have slept in your room since you were drunk.''

Kankruo shrugged.

''She slept in Temari's room.''

Temari snorted and crossed her arms.

''And you owe me big time. That girl practically lays on top of you. And she doesn't stop moving until she's pressed right up against you.''

Kankuro shrugged.

''I don't mind it.''

Temari huffed.

''I'm sure you don't.''

She turned towards Gaara.

''Anyways. What did you need?''

Gaara frowned and squeezed my hand briefly before pulling away and motioning Kankuro to the couch.

After Kankuro was sitting Gaara took a deep breath.

''I almost killed a council member last night.''

I watched as both of his siblings eyes widened, and Gaara went to sit in the chair across from them.

''A few months ago Ria was looking at pictures and noticed something that concerned her. In the pictures she saw the golden flecks that were caused by Shukaku's essence that was locked in my body.

Well she had seen those same flecks appear when I got angry.

Also I had been hearing Shukaku's voice in my head, though I thought that it was just my subconscious using his voice.

It turned out that it wasn't. I still have Shukaku inside of me. Every full moon since we left Kanoha, I have had increasingly worsening episodes. I hadn't lost control of Shukaku until last night. And I wouldn't have lost control at ALL if that idiot windbag hadn't been stupid enough to confess to being the one to hire the ninja's that hurt Ria and Misa.''

Kankuro's fists cleanched and Temari leaned forward her face pale.

''You said that you ALMOST killed him. But you didn't?''

Gaara shook his head.

''I crushed his arm. Which I'm sure will be fine in a few weeks. Though I haven't really decided what his punishment should be. What he did is still a crime. Even if he IS a council member.''

Temari nodded and Kankuro took a calming breath.

''And you're SURE that Shukaku is still...around?''

Gaara nodded.

''Considering he took over last night and had a conversation with Ria, yes I'm sure.''

Kankuro sat back with a startled breath and looked at me.

''You talked to Shukaku? And survived?''

I rolled my eyes and nodded.

''It looks that way.''

He shook his head and Temari sighed.

''So what will you do?''

Gaara shrugged.

''What I've always done. Suffer through the full moons, and try to keep Shukaku under control.''

Both of his siblings nodded and Gaara sighed.

''Also, Kankuro, though I don't want to say it, I need to give you more bad news: Misa and Ria have to go back to Aubry's. The rebuilding is finished.''

Kankuro jumped from the couch, his hands cleanched tightly into fists.

''Why do they have to go right away?''

I sighed and moved to stand by Gaara's chair.

''Aubry's is rebuilt. And Salem sent a letter telling us to come back.''

Kankuro glared.

''And is Salem your and Misa's father? Does he get to tell you what to do and how to live your lives?''

I rolled my eyes and sent Gaara a pleading look.

He sighed.

''I'm going back with Ria tomorrow morning. You can come along with us for Misa's sake.''

Kankuro nodded and Temari groaned.

''You two are leaving me here alone, again? You are the worst brothers ever. You owe me big time since I'M going to have to be the one that keeps Baki from murdering anyone.''

Gaara sighed and turned to Kankuro.

''As soon as Misa wakes up, tell her about Aubry's and when we're leaving.''

Kankuro nodded.

''Alright. She'll be up soon anyways.''

Temari turned a glare at him.

''You have one of those awful puppets watching her, don't you?''

Kankuro grinned, standing up and Temari sighed.

''I have a pervert and an innocent for a brother.''

Kankuro chuckled and winked at Gaara as he passed.

''You're the pervert, little brother. I'm the innocent one.''

Gaara rolled his eyes and turned to Temari.

''We're going to take Buterball with us. I'll come get him before I leave.''

She nodded and Gaara pulled me up, leading me towards his room.

He sighed when he closed the door behind us and rubbed his eyes.

''I really don't want to deal with my siblings right now. They're beginning to annoy me.''

I nodded and grabbed some clothes.

''I need a shower. You probably need one too.''

He nodded.

''Yeah. I have blood in my hair.''

I wrinkled my nose.

''Ew. I didn't need to know that.''

He smirked and waved me towards the door.

''Go and take your shower. I'll meet you downstairs when you're done.''

I nodded and made my way to my room.

**Hope you liked it! Review if you would like.**

**I do not own Naruto or it's characters.**

**Please ignore any mistakes and Thanks for reading!**

**:)**


	60. Chapter 60

I sighed as I flipped over the couch and picked up the papers that had slid under it.

I had been cleaning the office for a good three hours. Gaara had almost instantly been called away to a meeting, and so I was left to clean on my own.

Excluding moving the desk and arranging the papers, and scrolls, I had finished straightening up the Shukaku caused hurricane.

I heard a small whimper and turned to find that Butterball had jumped into Gaara's chair, causing it to spin.

I giggled at the disgrutled look on the pandas face and moved towards him. He looked up at me as I picked him up and took his place in the chair, setting him on my lap.

I smiled and began to spin the chair.

I giggled softly. I hadn't spun in a chair since right after I had been taken to the Akatsuki and that was in Die's lap.

As I spun faster, I closed my eyes and lifted my feet.

I sighed as the chair slowed and frowned when it came to a sudden stop. I opened my eyes and encountered Gaara, looking at me curiously.

I blushed and smiled sheepishly.

''Hi.''

He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted as Butterball let out a terrified cry and jumped off my lap, wobbling his way to hide behind the couch.

I laughed. ''You pansy. We weren't even spinning that fast.''

I paused and turned wide eyes back to Gaara, who was watching me closely.

''It looked like you were enjoying yourself.''

I nodded slightly. ''I was.''

He nodded and I leaped from his chair.

He sat down, but before I could move away, he pulled me into his lap and began to spin. I laughed and again closed my eyes.

After a minute or two he stopped our spinning and I opened my eyes to see him, controling sand to move his desk to it's proper spot, placing the pile of rumpled papers and scrolls in their normal space.

I smiled and leaned against him as he reached for a file.

''So, how did your meeting go?''

He sighed. ''I told them about Shukaku and about what that man had done to make me so angry...we came to a decision about his punishment. They also said that since I still possessed Shukaku, that I was not able to marry any of the potential girls that the two council members had picked out.''

I smiled. ''Did you do that on purpose?''

He smirked and shrugged. ''Maybe.''

I laughed and shook my head.

''So what are you going to do about the guilty council member?''

He frowned. ''I talked that over with the remaining council members as well. Normally, I would have him executed, but because of his influence with the people, I can't do that.

What was decided, was that he would be removed from his position on the council and placed under observation for the rest of his life.''

I sighed and rested against him. ''Does he have any family?''

Gaara shook his head. ''They moved away from Suna years ago. His only son married someone from the Mist, and hated the desert.''

I nodded and he kissed the top of my head.

''I think that we should take a nap.''

He hummed softly and tightened his arms. I sighed silently and closed my eyes, before a heavy weight suddenly landed on my lap causing me to gasp and my eyes to open quickly.

I looked down to see Butterball staring up at me and Gaara groaned.

''You are the most annoying creature in the world...excluding Naruto of course.''

I giggled and began to scratch the panda bear's ears.

A moment later there was a knock on the door and Gaara tightened his arms, preventing me from moving. A moment later one of the council members came into the room, not even waiting for Gaara's permission.

He started when he saw me on Gaara's lap and lowered his eyes. I recognized him as one of the men that supported my relationship with Gaara.

He cleared his throat and glanced up for only a moment before returing his eyes to the floor.

''Kazekage-sama, we still need to discuss some things.''

Gaara sighed and rubbed his eyes.

''Not today, Dominic. I have more paperwork then I ever have before because of the amount of meetings that we've been having and I need to get some of it out of the way. We'll discuss the rest of the issues tomorrrow.''

He nodded and bowed out of the room. As soon as the door closed I giggled and leaned back against Gaara.

''That man was embarrassed.''

Gaara smirked and shrugged. ''They need to get used to us being together like this.''

I saw the secretive spark in his eyes and frowned at him. He had been hiding something from me for a few days now and I had been unable to get him to tell me what it was. I pouted and pushed Butterball off of my lap, wrapping my arms around Gaara's neck.

''Are you going to tell me what you're planning?''

He shook his head and kissed me quickly.

''No. You'll have to wait, and find out.''

I sighed and buried my face in his neck. ''No, fair. You make me tell you stuff!''

His body shook in silent laughter and he kissed my forehead.

''This has to be a surprise, Love. But I promise to tell you soon. Okay?''

I groaned. ''It'll have to be REALLY soon. Or I might go crazy.''

He nodded and tightened his arms. ''Alright. I'll make sure to hurry my plans along.''

I nodded and sighed as one of his hands began to run through my hair.

''I won't be able to take a nap like I wanted.''

I hummed. ''Too much paperwork?''

He nodded. ''Yeah. But you can sleep. I know that I got you up early today.''

I nodded. ''We are going to sleep as much as possible when we get to my house.''

He sighed and nodded. ''Fine, Love. But for the moment, I have paperwork to do.''

I nodded and let his breathing lull me into sleep.

**Woot woot! Chapter 60! I really need to count how many chapters are left. I know this one is shorter than what I normally write, but I haven't finished editing the rest of the story. -_- (I really wish I knew how to do a sweat drop emoji)**

**ANYWAYS! Thank you for reading and I hope that you liked it!**

**Next chapter will be up soon I promise. **

**Please ignore any mistakes that I have made and Review if you would like to.**

**I, As always, do not own Naruto or it's Characters.**

**Thanks again for reading. :) **


	61. Chapter 61

A small movement from the body that I rested against woke me and I snuggled into the warm chest that was pressed agaist my cheek.  
''Are you awake?''  
I groaned and clenched my eyes shut. ''No.''  
Gaara laid a soft kiss to the top of my head. ''Okay.''  
I smiled and sighed, preparing to fall back asleep when my stomach decided to growl loudly.  
I pouted and looked up to see Gaara smiling at me.  
''Hungry, Love?''  
I shrugged. "Apparently. I wanted to go back to sleep, but I guess my stomach had other ideas.''  
He nodded and stood, carrying me over to the couch and sitting me on the arm.  
''I'll go get us some lunch from the market. I'll be back soon.''  
I nodded and slid to the couch cushions, next to a dozing Butterball.  
''Alright. I'll be here.''  
He nodded and after a few hand gestures, disappeared.  
I stretched, trying to wake my body up. I laughed as Butterball did the same, but turned wide eyes towards the door as I heard a knock.  
Of course, when Gaara left a person would come to his office wanting to talk to him.  
I stayed silent, hoping that whoever it was would get tired of waiting and leave.  
The door flung open and I relaxed against the couch when I saw Matsuri. Though she wasn't one of my favorite people, she was at least one that I knew.  
Her eyes swept over the office in confusion before coming to rest on me. Her expression turned into one of surprise.  
''Ria? Where is Kazekage-sensei? And why are you here without him?''  
I laughed and crossed my legs.  
''It's nice to see you too, Matsuri. Gaara went to get lunch and I suppose that he felt that I would be safe here without him for a few minutes.''  
She nodded. ''When will he be back?''  
I shrugged. ''Soon, I guess. You know that he doesn't like to stay away from the office for long.''  
She nodded and scanned the office again, biting her lip.  
''Maybe I should just come back later.''  
I shrugged. ''You don't have to. You can wait here with me.''  
She hesitated and I moved Butterball onto my lap, giving her space on the couch.  
''You can sit on the couch. I won't bite you.''  
Her eyes widened briefly before she caught herself and smoothed her features into a neutral expression. She walked towards me slowly and sat as far away from me as possible, her back stiff.  
It was awkwardly silent in the Kazekage office and I scratched behind Butterballs ears, trying to think of a way to break the silence.  
I finally forced a smile and turned towards her.  
''So, did you enjoy your last mission?''  
She gave me an incredulous look. ''Why would I enjoy my mission?''  
I frowned and tilted my head to the side.  
''Do you not? Enjoy your mission I mean. Naruto told me once that the missions were some of the things that he enjoyed the most about being a ninja. He liked to help the people.''  
She frowned and looked at the ceiling, relaxing slightly.  
''I don't enjoy being a ninja. I only became one in the first place so I could be closer to Kazekage-sensei.''  
I frowned. ''If being a ninja is making you so unhappy, Matsuri, then quit.''  
She shook her head violently. ''I can't do that! It would dissapoint Kazekage-sensei! He spent so much time training me and then finding an appropriate team for me...I couldn't just quit.''  
I frowned at her, trying to think about a good response when she surprised me by turning towards me, her voice hesitant as she spoke.  
''Hey, Ria? Can I ask you something?''  
I nodded and she glanced at floor before squaring her shoulders, shifting her gaze back to me.  
''Have you ever felt like you were being replaced?''  
My eyes widened at the question and I tilted my head.  
''What exactly do you mean by that?''  
She shrugged. ''Sometimes, I feel like I'm being slowly replaced in peoples lives. They will get new friends, and then it feels like they want to spend more time with them and forget all about me.  
It's almost like I'm just there to fill their time, until someone more fun comes along.''  
I bit my lip. ''Can you tell me who these people are? Friends? Family? If it's Gaara...''  
She cut me off by shaking her head violently. ''No, it's not Kazekage-sensei. And I don't have any family. It's just a friend of mine. Or someone that I thought was my friend. That may not be the case soon if things keep going the way that they have been.''  
I sighed and shifted so my body faced her.  
''Look, Matsuri. If this person is really your friend than she should be able to spend time with both you and this new person in their life.  
Has your friend done or said something that makes you think that they like this new friend better then you?''  
Matsuri shrugged. ''I don't know. It just seems like she would rather be with them instead of me. Every time we hang out she wants to invite her other friend or talk about something that they did, that I wasn't invited to. And when we're all together they both ignore me completely.''  
I shook my head. ''That doesn't sound like a very good friend to me. She should be making equal times for all of her friends.''  
Matsuri nodded. ''Yeah. And I've been trying to stay quiet about it because I don't want to sound like a spoiled brat. But it hurts when she brushes me to the side like she's been doing.''  
She smiled sadly. ''Maybe I'm just not meant to have loved ones. It seems like every time I let myself get attached to someone or something, it gets taken away from me. It's happened so often that I'm beginning to wonder if it might just be better if I wasn't in this world at all.''  
My eyes widened and I grabbed her hands suddenly, making her eyes shoot to mine in surprise.  
''Suicide is never the answer, Matsuri. I know life hurts and people around us can be careless and not realize how their words and actions have wounded us, but that is just a test to prove how strong we can be. To suffer through things and still live life to it's fullest.  
Sometimes we loose people we love, but as you get older you will find others that you love the same if not better then the ones before, and they will love you just as much. You just have to grit your teeth and bare through the rough times until you can find them.''  
She frowned and jerked her hands from mine.  
''What would you know? You've probably had everything handed to you. I'm sure that your family was one of those happy, always supportive types. I bet that you lived in a big house, probably an only child, with your parents hanging on your every word.''  
I laughed suddenly and she narrowed her eyes.  
''What's so funny?''  
I shook my head and forced back my giggles. ''Your perception of me. Do you really think that Gaara would fall in someone who was as shallow as you just described?''  
I saw her stiffen and I shook my head. ''My parents died when I was very young. I don't remember much, if anything, about them. After their death I was placed into a home that no child should be placed in and suffered through awful beatings for years.  
Though I will admit that after I was taken from that place, I did manage to acquire a loving family, who has, and I'm sure always will, support me in whatever decisions I make. I am also not an 'only child,' not really. I have an adopted older brother who acts like we're blood related.''  
I paused, suddenly sad. ''I haven't gotten to see my adopted family a lot recently, however. We've all been traveling in different ways for a few months. And I ALWAYS had to work for what I got. My family doesn't believe in free handouts. ''  
Matsuri looked at me curiously. ''I still bet that they were the affectionate type. The way that you're able to CUDDLE with Kazekage-sensei...''  
I had flinched and she stopped suddenly. ''You're not used to that are you?''  
I shook my head and sighed. ''Not at all. I try, for Gaara's sake. I really do! But...it feels like I'm being smothered sometimes. Mostly when we're in this office and it's all just open space and he wants me by him all of the time.  
I know that with what he went through, he wants to be reassured that I love him. And his way of recognizing that is to be constantly cuddled and held and touched. But I'm not used to that! Excluding Die tackling me every time he saw me, none of my family is the touchy feely type.''  
I groaned and rubbed my eyes as Matsuri spoke. ''I...I have noticed that you will sometimes get an irritated look when he tries to hold you.''  
I sighed and rested back against the couch, staring at the ceiling.  
''That's more because he's being overprotective, and won't let me go somewhere. I love Gaara. Very much. But he can be way to protective sometimes and it gets on my nerves.''  
Matsuri laughed. ''Kazekage is VERY protective of his loved ones. You should have been around when Temari told him that she was dating Shikamaru. I thought that he would go to Kanoha and kill that boy.''  
I laughed with her. ''I could see that.''  
She nodded, her expression becoming serious. ''I hated you when I first met you, you know. At first I thought that you were just using him. That you were just one of those girls that wanted him because he was the Kazekage and could put you up in a nice home and give you a revered title.  
A few days later, when I saw that you actually caused him to show his emotions I was furious. Especially when just your name caused his eyes to light up. I had been trying since I met him to grab his attention and make him realize my feelings for him.  
But then he came back with you, an unknown girl that had caused him to smile softly when he thought no one else was looking and he touched you so easily. As if he had been doing it all of his life and not just recently. I could have strangled you the first time that I saw him hold you.''  
I smiled. ''Yeah. But you seem like you've calmed down a lot since I first met you.''  
She nodded and smiled sweetly. ''Oh, don't get me wrong! I'm still not going to give up on getting Kazekage-sensei's attention away from you, but I will understand if he still doesn't pick me in the end. I mean, I'll still be disappointed because I care about him, but I won't be so upset as I would have a few weeks ago.''  
I rolled my eyes and grinned. ''I'll be sure to watch my back.''  
She laughed. ''I wouldn't try anything behind your back. And I won't do anything to harm you. Kazekage-sensei would kill me.''  
I knew she was teasing and opened my mouth to reply when a dark voice spoke, causing both of us to jump and turn wide eyes to a glaring Kazekage.  
''You're right. I would.''  
Matsuri instantly jumped from the couch, wringing her hands nervously and inching towards the door.  
''Kazekage-sensei! I...I needed to report to you.''  
Gaara nodded and moved towards his desk. ''Then report.''  
I saw Matsuri swallow hard and I sent a glare towards the cold Kazekage, who ignored me completely, keeping his icy stare on the already flustered girl, causing her to stutter.  
Gaara nodded once she finished speaking and wrote a brief note on a piece of paper, waving a dismissive hand.  
''Good. You may leave now. Make sure you and your team-mates get some rest.''  
She bowed lowly and walked towards the door, pausing as she opened it to send me an awkward smile.  
''Bye, Ria.''  
I grinned and waved slightly. ''Goodbye, Matsuri. Have a good afternoon.''  
She nodded and hurried out of the door, closing it softly behind her.  
I waited until I heard her footsteps receding before rising from the couch and stalking towards Gaara, spinning his chair around to look at me.  
He stared up at me, startled and I snarled at him, my hands on my hips.  
''I was enjoying my conversation with her. She was actually talking to me CIVILLY. She even asked me for advice.''  
Gaara frowned. ''She was taking too much of your time.''  
I growled. ''She needed HELP, Gaara. Understand that I love you, but sometimes other people need my attention too. You have to SHARE me.''  
He narrowed his eyes in a glare. ''No. I share you enough, and today I want you to myself.''  
I made an exasperated noise and threw my arms out.  
''Whether you want to share me or not, you still HAVE to.''  
He leaned back against his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, his voice holding a warning.  
''Do not start an argument with me today, Ria.''  
I returned his glare, crossing my own arms. ''Why not, Gaara? Today seems like as good a day as any. And we need to get you over this possessiveness that you feel for me.''  
He growled and with a quick movement, I was pulled to straddle his legs, my face colliding with his chest.  
I pulled away to look at him, finding his glare had hardened. His hands came up to frame my face and I frowned at him.  
''Ria, my heart. Listen to me. You are leaving tomorrow and you are NOT friends with Matsuri. I see no reason why I shouldn't have sent her away when I wanted to spend time with you, considering I not only LIKE you, I LOVE you. And I want to spend as much time with you as possible.''  
His eyes softened as he spoke and I let my glare soften as well, now just looking at him with sad eyes.  
''Normally I wouldn't have cared that you sent her away. But, Gaara, this time she was really upset. She even mentioned suicide.''  
He frowned. ''What? Do I need to have a talk with her?''  
I smiled and kissed him quickly before shaking my head.  
''No. I think I took care of it. I don't really know what you could have done about it anyways. It was just the normal teenage girls, crazy feelings.''  
He groaned and rested his head against my shoulder.  
''I don't understand any of those things. Not even the feeling part. I've never been good at expressing my own emotions, much less deal with someone elses.''  
I nodded and stroked his hair. ''Don't worry about it. I think I got through to her.''  
He sighed. ''That's good. I didn't go through all the trouble of saving and training her, just so she can go off, and kill herself.''  
I tugged on his hair and gaped at him. ''That was a bit cold and emotionless, don't you think?''  
He smirked and shrugged. ''I'm always like that to people, Love.''  
I raised an eyebrow. ''You're not like that with me.''  
He nodded. ''I'm trying NOT to be. But it's hard sometimes when I've acted that way most of my life.''  
I smiled and leaned my forehead against his. ''Thank you. For trying. If you didn't I would have to drag those emotions out of you.''  
He smirked. ''You could try Love. Though I doubt that you could.''  
I pulled back and frowned. ''Why do you say that?''  
He shrugged. ''I'm used to hiding my emotions. I even think that I have perfected it. And I seriously doubt that anything that you could do would drag those feelings out of me, if I didn't want for you to.''  
I smirked. ''Oh, you think so, huh? Want to bet on it?''  
His arms tightened around me, pulling me closer. ''Depends on the wager.''  
I shrugged. ''I bet that I can make you lose your composure and show your feelings towards me.''  
He nodded. ''What do I get when I win.''  
I rolled my eyes. ''IF you win, then you can choose your prize. Same with me.''  
Gaara thought it over for a moment before nodding. ''Fine. IF you win and can make me lose my composure, then I'll do whatever you ask. Even if that means staying in bed with you all day without complaint.''  
I giggled. ''Yay!''  
He smirked for a moment before taking a deep breath and I watched as his face lost all emotion.  
''You need to get off of my lap.''  
My lips twitched in amusement and I wrapped my arms around his neck.  
''Uh uh. I'm trying to make you loose your composure, remember? Not help you keep it.''  
I grinned and ran my nails across the back of his neck lightly.  
''I like where I'm at anyways.''  
He swallowed hard. ''Ria...''  
His voice trailed off as I leaned forward and began to nip at his neck. I could feel his heartbeat speed up and pressed myself closer to him.  
''If you really want me to move, then you're going to have to move me.''  
I pulled away from his neck after a final nip and brushed his lips gently. He tried to follow me as I pulled away and I tangled my hands in his hair, holding him back.  
I grinned at the disappointed expression on his face. I liked this game.  
I pressed my lips back to his, gently and felt his arms tensing a moment before he crushed me against him and dominated the kiss.  
I smiled into the kiss and pulled away from him, laughing at his glare, ruffling his hair lightly.  
''See? I told you.''  
He pouted and shook his head. ''But you cheated. If you hadn't have kissed and teased like you did, I could have held onto my composure.''  
I shrugged. ''I know. But then I wouldn't have won and you didn't say that I couldn't use my kisses against you. So, I win.''  
He sighed and leaned back. ''Yeah. I guess that we'll be sleeping a lot when we get to your home?''  
I nodded. ''Yeah. What would you have wanted if you had won?''  
Gaara shrugged. ''I would have wanted to kiss you.''  
I laughed and shook my head. ''You know that you can kiss me whenever you want.''  
He smirked and nodded. ''I know. But it was the only thing that I wanted at that moment.''  
I rolled my eyes and kissed him, letting him pull me closer and tangle his hands in my hair.  
I let him kiss me harshly until I had to pull away to breathe and gasped in air, ignoring his smirk as he watched me.  
After a moment his arms tightened and he grinned.  
''Again?''  
I huffed. ''Can I catch my breath first?''  
He shook his head and captured my lips. He leaned forward, pressing me into the desk and holding me there with his body.  
A minute after he did this, I heard the door crash open.  
I pulled away startled and managed to fall from Gaara's lap, onto the floor.  
Gaara grinned down at me, his shoulders shaking and I frowned as I rubbed my shoulder that had hit the floor pretty hard.  
I heard a laugh and turned a glare towards the intruder, finding Kankuro leaning over the desk, staring at me.  
''Hi, Ria. Did I surprise you?''  
I growled and crossed my arms. ''Apparently. Ever heard of knocking?''  
He chuckled and shrugged. ''And miss the chance to scare you so you fall on your butt? I don't think so.''  
I rolled my eyes and watched as his expression changed, his eyes meeting Gaara's.  
''I actually need to talk to you. And I'm not sure if you want Ria to hear it. It's about the Akatsuki.''  
Gaara glanced at me before turning back to his brother.  
''I think that she'll be able to handle whatever you have to say.''  
Kankuro nodded and handed Gaara a scroll. ''We received a message from the leaf. It took us a few hours to decode it, but we were finally able to read it. It says that two men in Akatsuki cloaks were spotted around the a distant village. The Leaf village wants us to inform them if any of our scouts notice them.''  
I frowned. ''Did they tell you which members they saw?''  
Kankuro shook his head. ''No. Just that it was two men.''  
I nodded and Gaara sighed, skimming the writing on the scroll. A frown turning down his mouth.  
''Write the Hokage, tell her that we will keep scouts around the dessert and will inform her immediately if we see anything.''  
Kankuro nodded and gave me a hesitant smile before leaving the office.  
I turned my attention to Gaara, and found him smirking at me. ''Are you enjoying yourself on the floor, Love?''  
I glared. ''Extremely.''  
He grinned, and after a quick look at the door, moved so that he was sitting across from me. I raised an eyebrow at him and smirked.  
''Gaara, honey, is there a reason why you are on the floor?''  
He shrugged. ''Cause you're on the floor.''  
I rolled my eyes. ''That's true.''  
He crawled closer to me and pulled me to him. ''I'm sorry that the Hokage found some of the Akatsuki men.''  
I shrugged. ''I'm not really surprised. I'm almost positive that it was Hidan and Kakazu. They've never been fond of stealth.''  
Garra frowned. ''You don't think that it could be anyone else?''  
I shook my head. ''Not really. Dolly, Die and Weasle didn't go through all of the trouble of faking their own deaths, just to be found again.''  
Gaara nodded. ''I hadn't thought about that. You're right. They wouldn't be that careless.'' I nodded and snuggled into him.  
''Weren't we supposed to be eating lunch or something?''  
He smiled and reached under the desk pulling out a bag.  
I frowned. When had he gotten that there? He began to pull out different containers and I opened one to find fresh strawberries. I cooed softly and picked up one of the red fruits with a smile.  
''Where did you manage to find strawberries?''  
Gaara rolled his eyes. ''From the market of course.''  
I shot him an irritated look. ''Smartness.''  
I grinned suddenly and ruffled Gaara's hair.  
''Did you realize that your hair and this strawberry are the same color?''  
He frowned and I giggled before taking a bite out of the ripe fruit.  
I sighed contently and noticed Gaara reaching into another container, pulling out a grape.  
I frowned and offered a strawberry.  
''Do you want one?''  
He shook his head. ''No. I don't like Strawberries.''  
I gasped. ''How can you not like Strawberries?''  
He rolled his eyes. ''I just don't.''  
I shrugged and ate the fruit that I still held.  
''Have you tried them when they're dipped in chocolate?''  
He wrinkled his nose. ''If I'm going to eat chocolate, then it's going to be in a cookie or in those pancakes that you make.''  
I giggled and kissed him quickly.  
''Alright Gaara.''

**Thanks for reading! Please ignore any mistakes. I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters.**


	62. Chapter 62

By the time that we left Gaara's office I could barely hold my eyes open, causing Gaara to carry me home.  
For some reason, instead of telaporting like he normally did, he decided to take the long way and walk.  
Temari was still awake when we entered the house and she gave us a curious look.  
''Did you have to keep her out this long, Gaara. She has an early day tomorrow, and unlike you, she needs sleep.''  
Gaara sighed and rolled his eyes.  
''I know that Temari. I'm taking her to bed now.''  
She nodded and he walked me to his room, dropping me on the bed and crawling in after me, pulling me close.  
His arms tightened around me roughly and I gasped.  
''I do have to breathe Gaara.''  
He sighed and loosened his arms slightly.  
''Sorry.''  
I frowned. ''What's wrong?''  
He shrugged. ''You're leaving tomorrow.''  
I nodded. ''Yeah, and you're going with me. And then I'll come back to Suna every chance I get to see you.''  
He sighed and began to mumble something, causing me to look at him strangely.  
He noticed me after a minute and smiled sheepishly.  
''I was talking to Shukaku.''  
I nodded. ''You've been doing that a lot, you know.''  
He shrugged. ''All having to do with my plan.''  
I rolled my eyes and smiled. ''The one that you won't tell me about, right?''  
He smirked and nodded. ''Yeah. But you'll find out soon. Promise.''  
I nodded and yawned. ''Okay. But can we sleep now? I'm tired.''  
He nodded and kissed my forehead. ''Of course, Love. Goodnight.''  
I smiled and closed my eyes.  
I was able to whisper a small goodnight before slipping into sleep.

/

''What do you mean that Toru is moving in with us? Don't you think that you should have talked that over with me before just deciding on your own?''  
I was glaring at my adopted brother, who just stared back at me calmly.  
''It's not like I dropped off the face of the Earth. You could have sent me a message.''  
Salem sighed and patted my shoulder, causing me to growl at him.  
''Get settled in, Little Sister. Come find me to talk when you've calmed down.''  
I glared at him as he walked from the room and threw my hands up in frustration.  
''Ugh! I'm gonna go take a shower.''  
Gaara nodded from his place on my bed and watched me in amusement as I grabbed a set of night clothes and stomped towards my bathroom.  
I calmed down as I let the hot water run over me, though I was still irritated at how Salem had handled things.  
But by the time I walked back to my room and crawled into bed, I had calmed down enough to think rationally.  
Gaara looked at me as I settled next to him and quickly wrapped his arms around me.  
''Are you alright, Love?''  
I sighed and nodded. ''Yeah. I just hate it when he makes all of these decisions without talking to me before hand. I'm so SICK of being the last to know.''  
Gaara sighed and tightened his arms briefly. ''I know, Love. I'm sorry.''  
I shrugged and closed my eyes tiredly. ''It's whatever. But remember that we're staying in bed all day.''  
He groaned, nodding slightly. ''I remember, though I'm not sure that I can hold back some complaints.''  
I rolled my eyes and snuggled closer to him. ''That's fine. I never really thought that I could have you lie in bed for hours without some sort of complaint. You like to move around too much.''  
Gaara smirked and kissed my forehead. ''I suppose that I do. But for the moment, I'd be more then happy to take a nap with you.''  
I smiled and hummed softly. ''Good. 'Cause I think I'll need one before going to confront Salem again.''  
Gaara nodded and began to stroke my hair, calming me enough so I could fall asleep.

I woke up to find that Gaara was still asleep and that we had slept through the night, and it was now close to noon.  
I smiled, realizing that if we had been in Suna, Gaara wouldn't have gotten to sleep past sunrise, much less into the afternoon.  
I kissed the still sleeping Kazekage and gently slid from his arms, going to confront my adopted brother about his lack of communication with me.  
I found him downstairs, lounging against the couch and petting the top of Sora's head gently.  
I paused in the doorway, and after a moment Salem turned towards me, a hesitant smile on his face.  
''Hey, Little Sister. Are you ready to talk now?''  
I nodded and moved a little further into the room, preferring to stand instead of sitting next to him. I was, after all, still angry at him.  
I saw his smile falter and he sighed, looking towards the floor.  
''Look, Ria. I'm sorry for not contacting you before I asked Toru to move in with us. Truthfully it happened too fast and I didn't even think about what I was saying before the words were already out of my mouth and I couldn't take them back.''  
I nodded, showing that I was still listening to what he was saying and he shrugged.  
''Toru's father died while you were gone. It was a sudden heart attack while he was sleeping, and he left the house to Yuki, and Suki.''  
Salem sighed and shook his head.  
''They told Toru that she had two choices: She could break up with me and could still live in the house, or she could pack her things and move out.  
When she told me about these conditions I couldn't stop myself from blurting out that she could stay here. It wasn't until after she had unwrapped her arms from around my neck that I even thought about how you would react to having another girl in the house.  
And I decided at that point that I would rather tell you about all of this face to face rather then through a letter. I knew that you would be angry, but really, Ria, I didn't have much of a choice.''  
I sighed and sank onto the couch next to him.  
''I guess I have no choice but to understand that you really didn't have a choice. You love Toru, and it wouldn't have really been good for her to live on the streets would it?''  
He smirked and shook his head. ''No. I can't really have a girlfriend that is considered a hobo, not really good for my reputation.''  
I rolled my eyes and punched his arm. ''Whatever. Since when have you ever cared about your reputation?''  
His look became mockingly thoughtful before he grinned and shrugged.  
''Never, I guess.''  
He frowned suddenly and looked over me. ''You need to start getting dressed for the reopening tonight. There's a dress in your closet.''  
My eyes widened as I remembered the last time I had worn a dress and I felt my face heating. I shook my head quickly and clasped my hands together.  
''No way, Big Brother. There is no way in the seven circles of hell that I'm wearing a dress again.''  
He laughed. ''Oh, I heard a little about what happened at Sakura's wedding, while you were wearing a green dress.''  
I glared at him and felt my face getting hotter. ''Curse you and your know-all abilities.''  
He grinned and shrugged. ''This dress is completely different then the one that you wore. It's not as...revealing. Or so I've heard.''  
I glared at him and he stood up. ''Go on, Little Sister. Get dressed.''  
I sighed but moved towards my room, finding that Gaara was now awake, freshly showered, and dressed in a black dress shirt and dark jeans.  
He looked at me curiously when I pulled the dress from the closet and I saw him frown.  
''I liked the green dress better.''  
I rolled my eyes. ''I know. A little too much I think.''  
Gaara smirked and walked over to kiss me quickly before pushing me towards the bathroom.  
''Go get ready, Love. I'll be waiting for you here.''  
I nodded and grabbed the dress, making my way into the bathroom.  
Once the door closed, I took a closer look at the fabric and cooed softly. It was a deep red, with cream colored lace around the neck and sleeves.  
I slipped it on and smiled. The only skin that showed was below my knees and the top of my chest.  
I walked out of the bathroom and saw Gaara's eyes rake over me before he smirked.  
''I still liked the green dress better.''  
I laughed and shook my head. ''Of course you did. This covers more.''  
He grinned and followed me down the stairs to where Salem was waiting.

**I KNOW THAT THIS CHAPTER HAS A FEW BROKEN UP CHAPTERS IN IT, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO SPEND THE TIME TO PUT SUCH TINY CHAPTER UP. I'M LAZY. AND IT'S A WASTE OF TIME.**

**ANYWAYS. THANKS FOR READING. :) HOPE THAT YOU LIKED IT AND REVIEW IF YOU WANT. SORRY ABOUT ANY MISTAKES. I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR THE CHARACTERS.**


	63. Chapter 63

As we entered Aubry's the first thing I noticed was the large amount of people that were gathered.  
I groaned and Gaara smirked, wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me to him tightly.  
''Good. At least I know that you won't be leaving my side with all of these people around.''  
I shook my head and pushed closer to him, causing his smirk to widen.  
''I like you being afraid of crowds, I think.''  
I glared at him, before directing him towards Aubry who grinned and instantly pulled me into a quick hug.  
''How have you been, Ria?''  
I shrugged.  
''Good. You seem to have a lot of people here tonight.''  
He chuckled and nodded.  
''More than either Salem or I ever expected. Jagar did well with advertising.'' I nodded, and Aubry smiled at Gaara and I.  
''I should probably let you go and mingle.''  
I felt an eye twitch and he chuckled, squeezing my shoulder affectionately.  
''Have fun you two.''  
I nodded and Gaara led us to an unoccupied corner, where he pulled me to him tightly.  
''Are you alright?''  
I nodded and smiled.  
''Yeah. You maneuvered us through the crowd really well.''  
He nodded and I could see that he was becoming nervous about something. But before I could ask him about it, Salem walked over to us, dragging a disheveled Toru with him.  
''Hey, Little Sister. Did you miss me?''  
I rolled my eyes.  
''Of course. It's not like I saw you about an hour ago or anything.''  
Salem nodded and smirked.  
''I have something important to tell you.''  
He grinned and I gave him a weary look while he glanced at Gaara, his grin widening.  
''You're fired, Little Sister.''  
My mouth dropped open with a pop and I gasped.  
''I'm WHAT?!''  
He laughed and tapped my nose lightly.  
''Don't worry. It's for the best. Trust me. Enjoy the party!''  
He threw a final smirk at Gaara before dragging a smiling Toru away again.  
I was still staring after him in shock when Gaara cleared his throat and turned me towards him.  
''I don't want to shock you anymore than you already are, Love but...I have something to ask you.''  
I nodded, closing my still gaping mouth and focused my attention on the nervous Kazekage.  
My eyes widened as Gaara slowly knelt to a knee.  
I gulped and felt him take one of my hands in his.  
''Wh...what are you doing?''  
Gaara frowned.  
''Trying to propose?''  
I nodded and tugged at his hand.  
''Don't kneel. Especially since I don't know how clean this floor is.''  
His eyes widened and he stood quickly, pulling a velvet box out of his pocket. He placed it in my open hand and I opened it slowly.  
I gasped as I saw the ring inside. It was a dainty band made of white gold, the large rectangular stone in the middle was made out of a red diamond, while the stones surrounding it were the regular white diamonds.  
The light hit it, making it sparkled and I watched as Gaara lifted it from the box.  
He took the box away from me and took my now free hand in his. The ring still clutched in his other hand.  
''Ria. I love you. More than I have ever loved anything or anyone. And I never want to be away from you again. So, will you accept my proposal and marry me?''  
I bit my lip before breaking out into giggles, causing Gaara to pull away from me slightly.  
''Is that a no?''  
I shook my head and kissed him quickly, causing his tense body to relax.  
I pulled away after a moment, still chuckling.  
''Of course I'll marry you, Gaara. But that speech was the cheesiest thing that you have ever said. Did Temari help you with that?''  
He nodded, pouting slightly and I shook my head, kissing him again quickly.  
''It was sweet though. Almost sickeningly so.''  
He rolled his eyes, a small smile turning up his lips and holding up the ring.  
''Would you like for me to try again?''  
I shook my head and he slipped the ring over my finger.  
''No. Once was enough.''  
I looked at the stones and 'oohed' softly.  
''This is incredible. Did you pick this out on your own?''  
Gaara **smirked** and nodded.  
''Yeah. Temari tried to help me, but the rings she picked just didn't fit you. So I had this one made. You like it then?''  
I smiled and nodded.  
''Definitely. I guess Salem's firing me makes more since now.''  
Gaara frowned.  
''It surprised me that he did that. I never said anything to him.''  
I sighed.  
''You might as well get used to that. Salem seems to know everything when it comes to me. He's got like super powers or something.''  
Gaara sighed.  
''Fantastic.''  
I smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.  
''I love you Gaara.''  
He returned the smile.  
''I love you too, my Ria. Now shall we go find your friends?''  
I groaned, and nodded.  
''I guess. If we have to.''  
He smirked and led me into the crowds of people.

**Yah! By this time my step-niece was like 'about friggan time.' Lol. But really...it only took us 63 chapters to get here. :) Only a few more to go now. **

**Thanks for reading and review if you like to. :) Please ignore any mistakes. **

**I don't own any of the Naruto characters.**


	64. Chapter 64

I sighed quietly as I began to unpack my things from the small bag that I had brought back to Suna. Thinking back to when Gaara and I had returned from Aurbry's.  
Imagine my surprise when I had returned to my room, finding that Salem had already hired people to take most of my things back to Suna. The room I had spent years in almost bare.  
Salem had laughed at my startled expression.  
''I thought that I would help you out.''  
I had nodded, still in shock, looking around the almost desolate room.  
Salem had cleared his throat and I glanced at him to find his strangely serious expression.  
''You need to go talk to Sasori and Die tomorrow.''  
I had nodded and prepared myself to sleep in the now strange room.  
The next day, I had dragged Gaara to Dolly's finding that Die was there as well. Though I had been slightly worried at their reactions, I was pleasantly surprised when Die instantly grabbed my hand and whistled lowly.  
''Look at that ROCK, Sasori!''  
Dolly had nodded, un-enthused and glanced at Gaara who had a chattering Niko in his lap.  
Dolly turned back to Die and I, the three of us having a LONG discussion. Mostly about their visiting often, to which Dolly promised and Die said he would practically haunt Suna. Coming to see me often and dragging Weasel along as well on some occasions.  
I had glanced at Gaara and Niko, finding that they were in deep conversation, and moved to hug Dolly tightly.  
''I know that I'll see you often, but I'm still going to miss you guys.''  
Dolly rolled his eyes.  
''Niko and I will visit as much as possible, dearling.''  
I nodded and pulled back to find Die pouting.  
I laughed and he looked at me.  
''Did you want a hug, Die?''  
He nodded.  
''I thought that I might get one, un.''  
I laughed and skipped over to him, flopping down on his lap and flinging my arms around his neck.  
''I'll miss you too, Die-Chan.''  
He chuckled, and 'offed' when Niko took a flying leap from Gaara's lap, landing on me, adding more weight to Die.  
He glared down at the ball of energy while I slipped off of his lap and set Niko in my spot.  
''Your daddy needs to teach you some manners.''  
Niko giggled and shook his head.  
''No. That's not any fun.''  
Die raised an eyebrow at the child, while Niko turned towards Dolly.  
''Daddy? Can Aunt Ria and Gaara stay for dinner?''  
Dolly had shrugged.  
''If they want, and Ria cooks. I am so sick of Deidara's cooking.''  
Die had turned towards Dolly, placing Niko on the couch.  
''At least I CAN cook. You burn everything.''  
Dolly had frowned and stood slowly, Die following.  
''You call what you do being able to cook? It all tastes like cardboard.''  
They had continued arguing while Gaara, Niko and I had looked on in amusement.  
I chuckled and shook my head, pulling another shirt out of a suitcase, looking at the new dresser that Gaara had moved into his room. The dark piece of furniture now taking the place of the old trunk that had finally been moved to the attic. Though I had made sure that Gaara's teddy had stayed on the desk.  
I looked over at the closet that was now halfway bare, Gaara rearranged his things so I had room for mine.  
I sighed. Cohabitation with another person might be a bit of a problem. I wasn't used to sharing closet space.  
I glanced at my pile of clothes that I had been sorting and frowned. I would probably just have to get rid of clothes.  
I smiled as a pair of arms slipped around me, pulling me into a hard chest.  
''Hey, hon. Did you get you some food?''  
I felt him nod as he placed his chin on my shoulder.  
''Yeah. Temari was...more than helpful. Why didn't you come down with me?''  
I frowned and waved at the mountain of clothing.  
''Because I've been trying to sort this...mess.''  
I felt him smile slightly.  
''You do have a lot of things. How will you manage to put it all away and still find things?''  
I sighed.  
''I don't think I'll be able to. I'll just go through it tonight and find the things that I wear and get rid of the things I don't.''  
He nodded and frowned suddenly.  
''I suppose that you won't want to go to work with me tonight then?''  
I shook my head.  
''No. Why are you going into work anyways? It's getting late.''  
Gaara sighed.  
''Because if I don't check things over every day than something ALWAYS happens to screw up my work. But I would really enjoy it if you changed your mind and went with me.''  
I sighed and shook my head.  
''I REALLY need to finish unpacking.''  
He turned me towards him, pouting slightly.  
''I'm being abandoned for clothes?''  
I laughed and nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck.  
''Yap. But look at it this way: By the time you get home I should have most of this sorted and put away, then I can spend the entire night paying attention to you.''  
He sighed and nodded slowly.  
''Fine. I would prefer that anyways. I wouldn't want to share your time with CLOTHING.''  
I laughed and moved to kiss his nose quickly, causing him to smile.  
''Alright. I guess I should leave.  
I smiled and nodded, turning back to my clothes.  
''Okay, Gaara. Don't injure to many ninja's, okay?''  
He sighed and squeezed my hand before I heard his footsteps retreating and the door closing behind him.  
I sighed and pulled out another shirt, this one to my uniform at Aubry's. I sighed and shook my head, reaching for the skirt. I wouldn't be needing that anymore.  
I placed them to the side and began to sort the rest of the clothes into keep and throw piles I shoved the throw pile back into the suitcases and was turning back to organizing the clothes that I was keeping when I felt a sudden chill go down my spine, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.  
I looked around, expecting for someone to be in the room but found nothing.  
I shivered again and frowned, trying to locate the source of my unease. I bit my lip and finally gave into my flight instinct and made my way downstairs. I was hungry anyways.  
I felt the presence follow me and tried hard to ignore the felling of being watched, but it was becoming increasingly harder as I fixed me a sandwich.  
I was pulling a plate from the cabinet when I felt a pair of arms circling my waist and screamed, violently pushing away from the person, scurrying to the other side of the room before turning.  
Gaara stood with his hands in the air, his eyes wide and his face paler than normal.  
I brought my hand to my throat, trying to calm my harsh breathing and Gaara took a hesitant step towards me as I leaned against the counter, trying to force my heart from where it had become lodged in my throat.  
''Ar...Are you alright, Love?''  
I took a deep breath and nodded, dropping my hand before shooting him an accusing look.  
''You scared me. Don't do that again.''  
He nodded and took a few more steps towards me, making sure that I wasn't going to bolt again.  
''Alright. I won't. Can I hold you now?''  
I sighed and nodded.  
''Yeah. You just startled me before. I'm okay now.''  
I saw his shoulders relax and he pulled me into his arms quickly, resting his head on mine.  
''I'm sorry that I scared you. It never occurred to me that you wouldn't hear me.''  
I shook my head and moved closer to him.  
''I never hear you. You're always really quiet when you move. But I can normally recognize that it's your touch. I guess I was just already freaked out, and because I didn't expect you home, I kinda flipped out.''  
He pulled away and frowned.  
''Why were you 'freaked' out? Was someone here?''  
I saw the deadly look that entered his eyes and shook my head quickly.  
''No. Nothing like that. I wouldn't have been as scared if that's all it was. I was upstairs and felt eyes watching me. But there was nothing anywhere. Not outside the window or in the room...''  
I saw the guilty expression that crossed Gaara's face and glared.  
''That was you, wasn't it? You used that bloody eye jutsu thing.''  
He looked down at the floor, frowning.  
''I'm sorry. I was bored at work and missed you. It never occurred to me that you could feel the eye. Even when you looked around and retreated to the kitchen, you looked completely at ease. I'm sorry I frightened you. I should have realized that you would keep your unease hidden.''  
I nodded and sighed.  
''Yeah. Sasori taught me that. But I KNEW that something was watching me, but I couldn't figure out WHAT it was.''  
He nodded and rubbed his nose against mine, causing me to smile.  
He glanced at the floor, finding the sandwich that I had dropped when he startled me and sighed.  
''You'll need to make something else to eat.''  
I nodded and frowned.  
''I know that Temari made you something to eat, but are you hungry?''  
He paused before nodding.  
''I couldn't eat a lot of what Temari made.''  
I nodded, already figuring that was the case.  
''Okay. What do you want then?''  
Gaara grinned.  
''Pancakes?''  
I frowned and shook my head.  
''No, Gaara. No more pancakes for a while. You've had them for three days in a row. It's time to eat something else.''  
He pouted and tightened his arms.  
''Please?''  
I laughed and shook my head, kissing him lightly.  
''Not tonight. Give the pancakes a rest for a bit. Though If you're good, you can have a cookie.''  
His head jerked up to look at me, his eyes shinning.  
''When did you make cookies?''  
I smirked.  
''Right before we left. I had to hide them so SOMEBODY wouldn't eat all of them.'' Gaara smiled unrepentantly and nodded.  
''I like cookies.''  
I rolled my eyes.  
''I hadn't noticed. But before you have your cookies, you have to eat REAL food. So what do you want?''  
He shrugged and released me to go sit at the bar.  
''Whatever you fix is fine, Love.''  
I sighed and frowned at him.  
''That's no help to me. I know that you like my spaghetti, and the stew I made, but excluding pancakes and cookies, you don't seem to have a preference for anything else.''  
Gaara shrugged.  
''Everything that you make is good, so it doesn't really matter.''  
I frowned, thinking.  
''Why don't I make tacos? It'll be quick and simple. I still have some unpacking to do.'' Gaara frowned.  
''I thought that you would be finished with that by the time that I got home.''  
I rolled my eyes.  
''You weren't gone that long, Gaara. And I would have been further along if you hadn't decided to SCARE me with that stupid jutsu.''  
He sighed and leaned back against his chair.  
''I AM sorry about that Ria. I'll help you unpack if I can.''  
I shrugged.  
''You can if you want. But I would be happy to just have you spending time with you while I arrange the clothes myself.''  
Gaara smiled softly and nodded.  
''I think I can handle that.''  
I smiled at him before moving to fix the tacos. We fell into a comfortable silence, Gaara getting lost in his own thoughts and I hummed softly, letting him talk to me in his own time about what was starting to trouble him. It didn't take long.  
''A few of the windbags called an emergency conference when I entered the tower today.''  
He frowned.  
''I think that I need to make a new law. I'm tired of them thinking that they can talk to me whenever they want, at all hours of the day...or night. That will need to change after the wedding.''  
I laughed and shook my head.  
''You ARE the Kazekage, Gaara. I think that you're allowed to decide when to talk to the council or not.''  
He sighed.  
''I have to TRY to be diplomatic, Love. I can start a rebellion or a war if I don't.''  
I wrinkled my nose.  
''That would suck.''  
He nodded.  
''I would have to agree with you. But it was what they talked to me in the meeting about that upset me.''  
I nodded and turned the stove low so I could turn to look at him.  
''What did they say?''  
He frowned, and his voice lowered to a growl as he spoke.  
''They asked me if I would consider resigning from my position as Kazekage. At least for a short time.''  
I froze and felt my eyes narrow.  
''Why would they ask that?''  
Gaara sighed and shrugged.  
''They said it was because Shukaku was back and that I seem to not be able to control him as well now. They wanted to know if I would be willing to let Baki take over for a while, until I could get him back under control.  
They brought up how even with full control the Akatsuki was still able to capture me...'' He broke off when I huffed, beginning to pace angrily around the room.  
''How stupid can these men be? I thought that after you arrested that one council member that the others wouldn't be as bad since there wasn't anyone to stir up conflict. Obviously I was wrong.  
You can control Shukaku fine. It was just that ONE time that he was able to hurt someone. Ever since then you've been keeping him in check.  
I mean, who would be a better Kazekage than you? You gave your LIFE for this village. Which is more than any of those men would be willing to do, I can grantee it.  
I ought to grab Matsuri and have her help me start a riot. I bet that we could get most, if not ALL of the villagers to join us and that would knock the Council down a few pegs.''  
I was sure that I could feel the room heating. My skin was definitely tingling.  
I glanced at Gaara to find him leaning against the center island close to me, a smirk on his face.  
I shot him a glare, causing him to grin.  
''What are you smiling at, Gaara? This is not funny?''  
He shook his head and cautiously reached for me, closing his hands around my upper arms and pulling me towards him.  
''Because your rant made me happy, and I realized how stupid what they had said was. In the back of my mind I've had doubts that I COULD stop Shukaku from hurting people. And I wondered if the Council wasn't right and I SHOULD step down. But after hearing you...''  
He shook his head and leaned down to press his forehead to mine.  
''Thank you, Ria. I needed to hear all of that.''  
I smiled and nodded, kissing him softly.  
''Of course, hon. I've told you a hundred times that you're a wonderful Kazekage. You shouldn't doubt yourself so much. None of your people do. Excluding the council, of course.''  
He smiled and went back to his seat at the bar while I finished our dinner.  
''I suppose that I should be happy that they haven't mentioned our relationship recently. One of the men still doesn't agree with it. But he seems to be keeping it to himself for the moment.''  
I nodded and set his taco in front of him, claiming the chair next to him.  
''He's probably worried what you would do to him.''  
Gaara smirked and took a large bite out of his taco.  
''Good. They should fear me. Normally I don't think that, but since they obviously won't ever respect me for their Kazekage, fear is the next best thing.''  
I nodded and took a bite of my own taco.  
Gaara was finished eating before I took my third bite and was looking at me expectantly.  
I ignored him for a moment until he moved his hand and began to twirl his hand in my hair.  
I rolled my eyes and pointed to the fridge, swallowing quickly.  
''They're in the cookie jar on top of the fridge.''  
Gaara instantly removed his hand from my hair and jumped out of his seat, rushing to pull the jar from where it rested.  
''How did you get this up here, Ria?''  
I frowned.  
''I used a chair. Why?''  
He smirked.  
''I just knew that the top of the refrigerate is high up, and you aren't exactly tall, Love.''  
I rolled my eyes.  
''At least I don't have to worry about hitting my head on low hanging branches.''  
He smirked and shrugged.  
''No. You just run into doors and see pink bunnies with scythes.''  
I huffed and stuck my tongue out at him.  
''Bite me.''  
I saw him pause and he gave me a curious look.  
''You want me to bite you, Love?''  
I shook my head quickly.  
''No. It's just a figure of speech.''  
He nodded and turned back to the container, pulling a cookie from it and shoving it into his mouth before grabbing another.  
''Careful, hon. You'll get sick.''  
He shook his head and pulled out another cookie while he was still chewing the last.  
''I'm serious, Gaara. You're going to make yourself sick. Those aren't exactly your typically small cookie.''  
He sighed and put the lid on the container before replacing it on the fridge, nibbling on the remaining cookie.  
''Do you want to finish unpacking now?''  
I nodded, and after taking our dishes to the sink led him up the stairs.

**:) Thanks for reading. Please ignore any mistakes and review if you want to, I love reading them. **

**I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. **


	65. Chapter 65

It hadn't taken me long to finish unpacking, though Gaara had lain on most of my clothes, making it a bit difficult to organize.  
He had finally decided to take a shower, letting me unpack in peace.  
I had finished not even ten minutes after he had left and now lay on the bed slowly falling asleep.  
I was in a slight daze when I heard the bathroom door open. A moment later my closed eyes flew open when a heavy weight fell across me. I looked down to find damp, red hair, Gaara's face nuzzling into my chest, his arms wrapped around me, as the rest of his body rested on top of mine.  
''I think that I'm going to sleep like this tonight?''  
I rolled my eyes and wrapped my arms around his back, scrapping my nails against his neck gently, causing him to sigh.  
He used his sand to pull the covers over us and turn the lights off.  
It was quiet for a moment before Gaara spoke, his voice muffled by my shirt.  
''When I was downstairs with Temari this afternoon, she said that we would need to set a date for the wedding and start planning everything, because it takes months, if not a full year. Is there really so much to do?''  
I frowned and nodded.  
''Yeah. Though it depends on what kind of ceremony we want, and the rules that we have to follow with you being the Kazekage. I'm sure that there are a few traditions that we have to follow.''  
I felt Gaara frown and he sighed.  
''I suppose so. Though I don't know what they are.''  
I shrugged.  
''I'll do some research tomorrow if you want me to. But that doesn't help with the date. We'll need time to get the proper clothes. That takes the longest from what I hear, and that's about six months at the least.''  
Gaara sighed again and snuggled closer.  
''I don't want to wait that long, but if we have to we will. So six months? That will make it mid spring I suppose.''  
I nodded.  
''I guess. Though it won't feel like it here.''  
Gaara nodded and sighed.  
''You should probably go to sleep now, Love.''  
I frowned.  
''Will YOU be able to sleep?''  
He shook his head.  
''Probably not.''  
I sighed.  
''You NEED sleep.''  
He nodded again.  
''I know. But with how my mind is spinning, I don't think I'll be able to,''  
I frowned and Gaara raised his head to kiss me lightly.  
''Sleep, Ria. You're tired.''  
I shrugged.  
''I just hate sleeping when you're not able to.''  
He smiled softly and shook his head.  
''I used to not sleep at ALL, Love. So don't worry about it.''  
I nodded and closed my eyes.  
''Alright. I love you, Gaara.''  
He returned to his spot and sighed.  
''I love you too. Goodnight.''

I knew I was dreaming. But I couldn't wake up.  
I looked around my dream scape, finding rolling green hills and a light blue sky. It was beautiful, and I could feel the soft grass under my bare feet.  
As I stood still I noticed that there were some figures walking along the hills.  
I moved closer, being careful to not be seen, though I wasn't sure why.  
I crouched behind a tall rock, watching the figures walk closer, realizing that it was a man and woman. The woman had teal hair, her skin pale, her dark blue eyes shinning brightly as she looked at the man.  
The wind blew her hair back, revealing the pointed ears, the only thing that gave her away as not being human.  
I turned my attention to the man, and frowned, having the feeling that I knew him, though I knew that I had never seen him before.  
Unlike the woman, his skin was tan, making it obvious that he spent most of his time in the sun. His long, sandy brown hair was pulled back into a low pony tail, animal like ears sitting on top of his head, their dark blue color a contrast to the light hair.  
There were tattoo like markings that covered his face and bare arms, the same shade blue as his ears.  
I looked closer and caught sight of his eyes, holding in a small gasp that would have alerted the couple to my presence. I knew those eyes. I had seen them on several occasions. The golden color with the black design was a dead give away as to who this creature was...Shukaku.  
I swallowed hard and watched as they walked by me, too wrapped up in the other to notice me. I noticed a fluffy tan and blue thing as they passed me and had to force down a laugh. Of course Shukaku would have a tail.  
I watched them leave and wondered why I was having this dream. It was too real for me to simply shove it off as a figment of my subconscious. Was this a hidden side affect to having the fire element, or to loving a Jinchuriki?  
I shook my head and leaned back against the rock, suddenly wondering how I was going to get out of this dream scape. Considering I didn't know how I had gotten there in the first place.  
I closed my eyes, letting my head rest against the hard surface behind me and noticed that it didn't feel quite right. I wiggled slightly and realized that it was getting softer. And that something was shaking me.  
I groaned and clenched my eyes shut before slowly opening them, finding a frantic Gaara hovering over me, his hands on my shoulders, shaking me.  
I tried to smile at him and saw his worry recede a bit, his hands relaxing against me.  
''Are you alright? I felt you go stiff, almost lifeless, and Shukaku was yelling at me to wake you up.''  
I frowned but nodded, trying to get my dry mouth to form words.  
''I'm fine. I...I don't know what happened. I was dreaming, but it wasn't really a dream. It was almost like a memory, but it wasn't mine. It seemed like it was Shukaku's. But I don't know how that's even possible.''  
Gaara frowned and looked away for a moment.  
''What was it about?''  
I shrugged.  
''It wasn't really ABOUT anything. I just saw Shukaku in his 'true form' I suppose, and he was walking with a woman surrounded by green hills.''  
Gaara closed his eyes and lowered his body, resting his head against my neck.  
''I should probably let you and Shukaku talk about this. Though he's not happy about you being in that place, so it won't be until he calms down. I don't know how you got to that place either. The only thing that I can think of is because I love you and Shukaku accepts you that, like me, you're able to see Shukaku's memories. At least when you're asleep and he's thinking about them.  
I've found myself surrounded by those hills multiple times, though not recently. I've learned how to separate my mind and Shukaku's.''  
I sighed and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, tangling my fingers in his hair.  
''But why hasn't anyone mentioned this type of thing before?''  
Gaara lifted his head, looking at me seriously.  
''How often do you think that a Jinchuriki has his love returned, AND have his tailed beast ACCEPT her? Most tailed creatures tolerate their vessels, but hate all other humans.''  
I frowned and sighed.  
''I guess that will be another thing to research.''  
I grinned suddenly.  
''Did you know that Shukaku had a fluffy raccoon tail? It was seriously cute.''  
Gaara froze before his body started shaking slightly.  
''He's not happy about that comment.''  
I shrugged.  
''I don't care. He was cute. He had that tail, and adorable ears perched on his head.''  
Gaara shook his head and again buried his face into my neck.  
''Sometimes your thoughts are scary, Love.''  
I laughed and shrugged.  
''You are not the first one to tell me that.''  
He nodded and kissed my neck.  
''I'm sure I'm not. But you need to sleep now. You're going to the Kazekage tower wih me tomorrow. That way you can do your research.''  
I nodded and sighed.  
''Yeah. I guess I better get some sleep then, huh?''  
Gaara nodded and tightened his arms.  
''Try not to dream again, Love.''  
I rolled my eyes.  
''I'll try, Gaara.''  
He hummed lightly and I closed my eyes, letting his steady breathing lull me back to sleep.

**:) Thank you for reading! **

**I don't own any of the Naruto characters. **


	66. Chapter 66

I felt Gaara moving and instantly threw my arms around his neck, groaning softly.  
''No. I don't want to get up yet.''  
He smiled against my skin and tightened his arms around my waist.  
''I know. But we have too. Otherwise you won't be able to do your research.''  
I groaned, and leaned my head against his.  
''Fine. But I'm going in my pajamas.''  
He shrugged.  
''I don't care. As long as you go with me.''  
I nodded and relaxed again. Gaara sighed and raised his head, frowning slightly.  
''It's time to get up, Ria.''  
I shrugged.  
''You have to get off of me first. I can't move with you laying on me.''  
He sighed and slid off of me, his hands lingering on my hips before he lifted himself into standing.  
I followed him, and watched as he gathered up his robes. I laughed suddenly.  
''Gaara, you should go to work in your pajamas.''  
He shook his head.  
''I can't, Love. I have to wear my Kage robes.''  
I shrugged.  
''Yeah. But you could wear pajamas UNDER your robes.''  
Gaara pulled a mesh shirt on and looked at me.  
''And what would I do if someone attacks? I would have to fight them in my pajamas. Don't you think that the Council would have something to say about that?''  
I smiled evilly.  
''I think that it would irritate them. Which would be fantastic.''  
Gaara rolled his eyes and changed into a clean pair of black pants, causing me to pout.  
''Fine. Wear your boring ninja clothes.''  
He smirked and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open to speak to me.  
''Have I told you about the library at the Kazekage tower yet?''  
I instantly perked up and shook my head.  
''No. Why didn't you tell me about it before?''  
He walked back out of the bathroom frowning.  
''Because I knew that I wouldn't be able to spend any time with you once I told you.''  
I smiled and nodded, walking past him towards the bathroom needing to brush my teeth.  
''But now I won't have to leave you to do my research. I can just look through some books. And I won't have to talk to people.''  
He smirked and shook his head, turning to finish getting ready for the day.

We were late getting to the Tower, my shoes having gone missing again and Gaara finally giving up and carrying me to his office. Commenting on the way that my shoes seemed to walk off from their resting spots.  
Once we entered the building, Gaara's secretary instantly stood and bowed.  
''Lord Kazekage. You have an emergency meeting with the Council. They require your immediate attendance.''  
Gaara nodded and placed me on the floor.  
''Alright. Let me just show Ria the library and then I'll go to my meeting.''  
The secretary looked like he was about to argue but I jumped in.  
''Go to your meeting, Gaara. The sooner you get there, the sooner it will be over.''  
Gaara frowned.  
''But you don't know where you're going, Love?''  
I shrugged.  
''I'll get directions. It'll be okay.''  
He sighed and turned to the secretary, knowing that I was right.  
''Karl. Give Ria the directions to the Library. Make sure that she knows where she's going.''  
He nodded and bowed as Gaara teleported from the room.  
I turned back to the Secretary, who was already scribbling on a piece of paper.  
''I have too much to do to lead you to the library, so I'll write the directions down for you. Hopefully you'll be able to understand them.''  
I frowned at the stab at my intelligence and took the paper that he offered me.  
''Take that hallway in front of you, take the first left, go down the first flight of stairs and take that hallway until it branches off. Take a right and keep going until the sixth door on you left. That's the library.''  
I nodded and turned towards the hallway, the secretary already sitting back at his desk, looking over the mass of papers.  
I rolled my eyes and began to walk down the hallway.  
When I came to the branch I paused, trying to remember what he had said and looked at the written instructions.  
I frowned as I looked at the paper, trying to distinguish the words. His handwriting was awful.  
''What is that? It looks like a B.''  
I sighed and looked at my options.  
''I could keep walking forward, or I could go left? Or right?''  
I shrugged and took the left hallway.  
I heard voices and paused, looking through the slightly opened door, finding familiar red hair.  
Gaara sat at a crescent shaped table, surrounded by five older men. Four seeming to be in their late 50's early 60's. Baki was the fifth man, sitting close to Gaara, looking serious and trying to catch every word that was said.  
I was about to move away when the tone of the man speaking caught my attention.  
''Lord Kazekage, surely you understand why we are all concerned. I and the other council members understand the fact that you love this girl. We aren't trying to change that. But we also saw how you reacted when she was threatened. We can NOT have you releasing Shukaku every time that someone insults her.''  
I frowned and caught Gaara's movement as he stiffened.  
''I have no intention of renouncing my title of Hokage. Even for a short time. I have as much control of Shukaku as I always have.''  
I saw the man frown and quickly moved away from the door, walking in the opposite direction of the door.  
I didn't think that Gaara would want me to set any of the council members on fire so I needed to get away.  
I finally got to what I counted as the sixth door. It was a huge wooden monstrosity and I took a deep breath before pushing it open. I peeked inside, making sure that I wasn't about to walk into someones office and squealed, pushing the door open wider.  
Inside was the biggest library that I had ever seen. At least four stories, with books from floor to ceiling.  
I ran into the room, closing the door behind me and stood in the center of the well lit room There were large wing backed chairs scattered around the room, each strategically placed in the sunlight.  
I took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the old books and sighed happily.  
I would have to thank Gaara later. This was one of the best things I had seen in Suna. And he would have issues dragging me out of the room.  
I remembered what I needed to research and went to find the books that I needed.  
The library was fairly simple to navigate. Being split into sections and having the available books listed on cards in filing cabinets tucked into a corner.  
It took me about fifteen minutes to get the books. Finding them was easy, but climbing the ladder and balancing while reaching across the shelves took the most time.  
After grabbing the last book, I slowly climbed down the ladder, trying not to fall or drop the books. It was a long way down from where I was perched.  
Once my feet touched the ground, I took a moment to take a deep breath before moving towards a chair that had a small table beside it.  
I flopped onto the blue cushions, laying out the books and looking over the titles, deciding which I should read first.  
I had found two that talked about the Kazekage's wedding customs, and one about the history of Shukaku.  
I sighed and picked up the first of the wedding customs books, flipping to the index and finding that there wasn't a lot that could actually help me in it. It was just about what rank a ninja had to be for an arranged marriage. What type of blood traits were acceptable for the Kazekage's bride and what personality she should have.  
I shrugged and put the book to the side, deciding that it wasn't going to help me much. I opened the second book and glanced at the index, finding almost instantly that it was the one I needed.  
I flipped to the beginning and frowned at the odd way they had strung together their sentences and the strange wording that had been used.  
Who was the author and when did they write it? The 13th century? I shook my head, trying to concentrate on the strange writing style.  
I soon found that they majority of what was SUPPOSED to happen at a Kazekage's wedding would be extremely hard for Gaara and I, if not impossible.  
Firstly, it was prefered that the potential spouse be a ninja or a political figure, someone that could be used as a pawn if the village they were from tried to attack Suna. Though there weren't any actual rules stating that a regular person couldn't marry the Kazekage.  
Secondly: all of the Kazekage's family had to be present during the ceremony, showing that they accepted the intended. This continued saying that it was preferable to have the Kazekage's parents standing with him at the front. Something that Gaara would be unable to do.  
The next section focused on the one marrying the Kazekage.  
Their family was also supposed to be present. Something that I wasn't sure how we would accomplish. The book wanted my 'parents' to give me away. And though I considered Dolly as my father figure, and Die would be considered more like my 'mother' figure, I still couldn't figure out a way to put them in the wedding without them being captured.  
I sighed and read on, finding that the rules were extremely tedious. It gave specific flowers that couldn't be used, certain colors that had to be worn, where the council, the visiting high archy, the family and the high ranking ninja's could sit. And even what words could be said in the vows.  
I felt my eye begin to twitch as I read through the seemingly endless rules and breathed a sigh of relief once I had finished the book. I leaned back against the chair and set the book to the side.  
Six months may not be long enough for me to plan an entire wedding. As much as I hated to admit it, I would need some help.  
I shook my head, and picked up the last book. This one I was more excited to read. Especially after the dream that I had.  
I also needed to find a book that told me why I had that dream in the first place. Though the more I thought about it, I thought that Gaara's explanation had been correct.  
I shook off those thoughts for the moment, going back to the book in my hands and instantly getting caught up in the story.

**thank you for reading. :) The next few chapters with Shukaku were actually some of my favorite to write so I hope that you all enjoy them.**

**I, sadly, do not own any of the Naruto characters. Review if you would like to and thanks for the reviews that I've already received.**

**Ignore any mistakes that I've made, please.**

**:)**


	67. Chapter 67

The one tailed Tanuki known as Shukaku stood in the desert, surrounded by the dead carcasses of his most recent attackers, their blood covering his skin and clothes.  
He looked over the corpses, making sure that none had survived to challenge his power again.  
He was a tailed beast. One of the strongest creatures in existence. Why these pathetic weaklings kept attempting to defeat him and take his title was a puzzle to him. Not that he spent much time contemplating their reasons, or even their lives. Truthfully, once he walked away, he banished any single face from his memory, remembering them simply as an obstacle in his way.  
He shrugged and trudged over the blood covered sand, getting closer to the grass lands.  
He had heard tales of a massive treasure that was being held in a castle, protected by what was said to be a powerful creature. Something that he was excited to find out was true or not. Anything to gain more power.  
He grimaced as his bare feet landed on the soft grass that joined the desert before becoming the grass lands.  
He hated this place. The cool and damp air always made him feel ill. He didn't have many weaknesses, but cold rain or water always zapped his energy. Not that he would tell anyone that.  
He continued towards his destination, wondering if this prize was even worth the effort he was putting into it and decided, as he felt the first drop of water hit his bare arm, that it wasn't.  
He looked around quickly trying to find cover from what he knew would be a downpour, but there was nothing around but a few boulders and green grass.  
He growled lowly, his ears tucking down against his head and his tail drooping.  
He hadn't taken more than five steps when the clouds opened up and a torrent of rain fell, soaking him.  
Shukaku shivered and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to see through the storm, still looking for a place to wait out the storm.  
He walked for what seemed like hours, though he figured was only about thirty minutes, before the cold rain got to him and he collapsed, his eyes filling irritatingly with water.  
He wasn't sure what would happen to him if he stayed in the open. Weak and fading into unconsciousness, but he couldn't force himself to care, his brain already shutting down against the cold that seeped into his bones.  
Shukaku finally gave into his bodies demands and let his eyelids close, falling into a sleep he wasn't certain that he would wake up from.

Shukaku winced, feeling his body slowly waking up. He was surrounded by heat, feeling heavy blankets laid over him.  
He cracked open his eyes, feeling a pounding in his head and the aches in his body.  
His eyes shot open when he suddenly realized that he didn't know where he was.  
He tensed, and with a new sense of urgency, looked around at his surroundings.  
He was on a pallet next to a blazing fire, a large book case behind him, a large chair next to that and a low table in front of the chair. There was a large window and he saw that rain pounded against the glass.  
He growled and moved his sore limbs, relaxing slightly in knowing that he wasn't restrained by anything besides the blankets. He may be weak because of the storm, but he could certainly bluff his way out of this situation.  
He took a deep breath and forced himself into a sitting position, the small effort causing him to pant and a sheen of sweat to stand out on his face.  
He reached for the covers with a shaky hand, preparing to throw them off when he heard a startled gasp from a doorway to his right.  
He jerked his head in the direction of the noise and glared at the small woman that stood there.  
She had teal hair and dark blue eyes, giving her away as an aquatic person, who's people normally preferred the water to being on land.  
His eyes narrowed and he let his eyes rake over her body, finding that she wore a loose fitting gray dress that barely reached her knees, her feet bare.  
She was holding a tray with what looked like afternoon tea resting on it.  
Shukaku looked back towards her eyes and glared.  
''Who are you and why did you bring me here?''  
She hesitated before walking around him, placing the tray on the little table in front of the chair, kneeling beside it and meeting his eyes, her gaze timid.  
''I...I found you. In the rain. I had gone out to cover my flowers from the harsh downpour and found you collapsed. I...I couldn't just leave you out there.''  
Shukaku growled lowly, causing the frightened female to shrink away, her knees visibly shaking.  
''You're weak. A strong Yokai would have killed me, or simply left me in the rain to meet my demise. Do you even know who I am, woman?''  
She frowned and huffed, showing a bit of temper that amused Shukaku.  
''You are the one tailed creature known as Shukaku. You are considered one of the most powerful creatures in this, and the surrounding lands.''  
Shukaku raised an eyebrow, intrigued slightly.  
''So you do know who I am. Tell me then: why didn't you leave me in the rain to die? Surely you know that I have killed plenty of your clansmen? You could have gotten revenge for them...Or were you waiting for me to wake up before you executed your plan? I warn you that I am not completely helpless, and I WILL kill you, even in this weakened state.''  
He saw the woman roll her eyes and she took a hesitant movement forward, making sure to keep her eyes locked with his while she did.  
''I don't want to kill you. Those Aquatic creatures that you killed weren't from my clan, and those that you killed trespassed into your territory, looking for a fight. I've heard about how you keep your distance from the river lands. Avoiding even passing through it.''  
Shukaku saw a sad look enter her eyes and frowned.  
''Another Yokai has destroyed your people.''  
She nodded and scooted another inch closer to him, forcing the lingering sadness from her mind, returning to the present.  
''I need to check your fever. If it's still high, you will need to drink some medicine. And since you're already awake, you should probably drink some water. Your body has already began to sweat out the impurities that have entered.''  
She was reaching towards his forehead when Shukaku suddenly grabbed her wrist, causing her to gasp and bite her lip.  
''Tell me your name.''  
The woman sunk her sharp teeth deeper into her lip but kept her eyes on his.  
''Why do you need to know?''  
Shukaku smirked, knowing that she realized that names held a power to them and shouldn't be given out lightly. Though he still had no intention of letting her get away without telling him what he wanted to know.  
''How am I supposed to trust you with my well being if you won't even give me a simple answer?''  
She hesitated before sighing, her hand going limp in his as she looked away briefly.  
''Alera. My name is Alera.''  
Shukaku nodded and released her wrist, letting her lean forward and place her hand against his forehead and cheek, her cool palm feeling good against his overheated skin.  
She frowned and moved away from him, quickly grabbing the cup on the tray and bringing it back to him.  
''You need to drink this. Your fever is still really high. I thought that I had gotten it down, but you're still burning up. Even for a desert being.''  
He looked at the cup, a snarl coming to his face.  
''How do I know that you aren't trying to poison me. You speak pretty words but I don't know if I can trust you.''  
Alera rolled her eyes and took a drink of the liquid, making sure that he could see her swallow the drink.  
''There's nothing poisons about this drink. It's all herbs from my garden, and if it was poisoned I would have just signed my own death warrant.''  
Shukaku frowned.  
''Know that if this kills me, I will make sure to tear you apart before my soul leaves my body.''  
She nodded quickly and held the cup to his mouth, letting him take a hesitant sip. He grimaced at the medicine like taste but quickly downed the rest of the liquid, not wanting that taste in his mouth for very long.  
Alera smiled when she placed the cup back on the tray and nodded in satisfaction.  
''That should bring your fever down. Would you like something to eat while you're awake? I know that you're probably getting tired by now, but you need to get your strength back.''  
He paused.  
''I need to leave. I have things that I have to attend to.''  
Alera shook her head, causing the Tanuki to growl. She quickly raised her hands and scooted back an inch, hurrying to explain.  
''You're still sick, and it would have just been a waste to save you if you left now. Especially since it's still raining.''  
Shukaku sneered, but nodded slowly after a moment.  
''Fine. But as soon as I'm well enough to move, I'm leaving and you should know better than to try and stop me.''  
Alera nodded hurriedly and stood from her spot.  
''I'll go fix you something to eat now. Is there anything that you would prefer?''  
Shukaku shook his head, wincing as the movement caused the room to spin.  
''No. Just make sure that it's hot.''  
Alera nodded and walked from the room, Shukaku watching her go, a glare on his face. He wanted to follow her, to make sure that she didn't poison his food. But he couldn't stand. This feeling of weakness was new to him and he couldn't say that he enjoyed it.  
He listened to the sounds of rattling cookware from the kitchen, his body beginning to shake from sitting for so long. He closed his eyes forcing himself to stay upright, though he was beginning to think that he might fail at that, and fall backwards when the woman returned, another tray in her hands.  
Alera saw how pale and sickly the creature in front of her had become and quickly rushed to him, placing the tray on the floor next to her.  
The instant that Alera had come into the room, Shukaku had opened his eyes, wanting to see what she was up to.  
When she reached out to push some of his sweat dampened hair back from his forehead he tried to lift his arm to push her away, but found himself to weak.  
He growled, causing the tiny girl to pull away hastily, averting her eyes.  
''I brought you your meal.''  
Shukaku nodded slightly, trying to force his arms to work so he could take the bowl that she was holding out to him.  
When his stubborn limbs still refused to move he snarled, causing the poor creature in front of him to jump away like a startled rabbit, her wide eyes darting to his. He sent a glare at her and Alera realized that he wasn't angry at her, but at his weakened state.  
She moved closer again, biting her lip as she filled the spoon with the thick soup, bringing it to his mouth.  
''Here.''  
Shukaku refused to acknowledge the food for a moment, before noticing that she wasn't even looking at him anymore, but off to the side, giving him the illusion of being in control. He sighed inwardly, knowing that he would have to eat to heal.  
He carefully slurped the soup, noticing that Alera would only look at him long enough to place the spoon close to his mouth before instantly looking away.  
This process was continued until all of the soup was gone and Alera placed it back onto the tray, finally turning her eyes back to the Tanuki next to her.  
His hair was damp with sweat and his chest was heaving.  
Alera moved towards him slowly, her arms lifted.  
''Can I help you lay down?''  
Shukaku sneered, but nodded, allowing her arms to come around him, lowering him to the pallet.  
Once he was comfortable, Alera felt his cheek, frowning.  
''Your fever has gone down some but I think that it still might be too high.''  
Shukaku shook his head.  
''My temperature is higher than normal desert creatures. It's not much lower then this.'' Alera frowned before nodding, slowly drawing the covers higher onto his chest.  
''Alright. Try to get some sleep. That will speed up your healing.''  
Shukaku nodded and rubbed at his eyes, trying to get the blurry images to focus.  
Alera watched the Tanuki sadly before preparing to stand, wanting to wash the dishes.  
She gasped as she felt a large hand close over her wrist, and turned to find Shukaku glaring at her.  
''You're not allowed to leave. I want to keep an eye on you and can't do that if you're not in the same room.''  
Alera frowned.  
''How can you 'keep an eye on me' if you're asleep?''  
Shukaku smirked, pulling her to lay beside him.  
''I've trained my body to be alert even when asleep, so I will know if you move.''  
Alera sighed and wiggled slightly, trying to get comfortable on the floor.  
''Alright. I won't leave.''  
He nodded, keeping his hand around her wrist as he closed his eyes, letting the hazziness draw him into a fevered sleep.

Shukaku woke up, blinking blurrily as bright sunlight streamed through the window.  
He looked to his right, seeing a pale throat next to him.  
He frowned, before remembering that he had forced the aqua creature to lay beside him.  
He released her wrist, forcing his body to sit up before taking a deep breath and trying to stand.  
He clenched his fists as the room began to spin, swallowing the bile that filled his mouth.  
He was breathing shallowly, his eyes closed when he felt a pair of cool hands on his arm.  
He looked down, finding the small woman looking at him with wide eyes.  
''You shouldn't have stood up yet.''  
Alera lowered him back to the pallet, biting her lip worriedly when he didn't protest against her help.  
She laid a hand to his face, nodding slightly.  
''I think that your fever has finally broke. You're warm, but you said that that was normal. You should be able to leave soon.''  
Shukaku nodded and closed his eyes. He felt her moving and let his eyes squint open, watching as she began to pick up the dishes around the room.  
Alera paused as she stood, looking at the still Tanuki.  
''I'm going to go clean the dishes. Is there anything that you need?''  
Shukaku paused before shaking his head.  
''No. And you need to stop treating me like a child. I am far older then you.''  
Alera paused a moment before breaking out into a wide smile. The first since she had brought Shukaku into her home.  
''But you're as weak as a child right now.''  
Shukaku's eyes flashed open, his expression turning deadly, a growl ripping it's way from his throat.  
''I should kill you for that statement.''  
Alera nodded, seemingly unfazed,  
''You probably should. And I have a feeling that if you had your strength back, you would. But for the moment you can barely move, much less attack me.''  
Shukaku sneered.  
''And what will you do when I get my strength back. I know that you've heard of my reputation, of my violent nature.''  
Alera paused before nodding slowly.  
''I have. But I'm also sure that YOU have heard about how the women of my clan can sense other creatures intentions. I can't sense any intention of violence from you.''  
Shukaku snarled, before closing his eyes and waving a hand in dismissal.  
''That may change before I am fit to leave. But for the moment, retreat to your kitchen. When you return bring me some lukewarm water.''  
Alera frowned before nodding and walking from the room, leaving Shukaku alone with his thoughts.  
He didn't know what to do with this female. She was scared of him, that was obvious by the way that she scurried around him, her eyes wide. Though he had to admit that even in his weakened state that he still made an intimidating figure. Especially when his eyes were open.  
He rolled his shoulders, feeling the stiffness in them from laying so long without much movement.  
He was still trying to worm his body into a more comfortable position when Alera entered the room, a glass in one hand, and a pitcher of water in the other.  
She watched Shukaku squirm for a moment, before kneeling beside him.  
''Is something wrong?''  
He shot her a glare before shrugging slightly, already reaching towards the glass, downing the liquid in a few swallows.  
''This pallet is hard and has made my shoulders ache.''  
Alera frowned, knowing that she had used all of the softest and fluffiest blankets in her home to make the pallet. She had hoped that it would be soft enough. Though she should have realized that he was used to sleeping on only the best.  
She took the glass from his hand and bit her lip hesitantly.  
''I can rub your back, if you think it would help.''  
Shukaku raised an eyebrow at her, seeing her face pink slightly.  
He shrugged, shedding his shirt and turning to lie on his stomach. He looked over his shoulder once he was settled, smirking as he noticed that the pink was now a bright red.  
Alera was trying to force down her blush, knowing that it was amusing to the grinning raccoon. She cleared her throat softly, before scooting closer, her cool hands coming in contact with the hot skin of Shukaku's back, causing the Tanuki to close his eyes, while Alrea swallowed hard. She hadn't touched a mans back before, her clan being killed before she was at matting age.  
She began to kneed out the knots from Shukaku's shoulders, feeling him relax under her hands as she continued.  
His muscles were hard under his skin, and she soon became fasinated with how they rippled while she rubbed at the knots.  
Alera let her eyes run over his exposed back, noticing that his loose pants had slipped low to rest on his hips, causing the recently cooled blush on her face to return at full force.  
Alera closed her eyes, not realizing that her hands had stilled on his back until Shukaku shifted, drawing her out of her thoughts.  
She opened her eyes, instantly caught by the gold and black gaze.  
She swallowed hard, pulling her hands away only to have one of her wrists caught by in a steely grasp.  
She looked at Shukaku, gnawing her bottom lip and he sneered, tugging at her.  
''I'm tired. Lay down.''  
Alera nodded and settled down beside him, only to squeak when he pulled her closer, his arm coming to lay across her waist.  
''I can sleep better like this. Holding onto your wrist is uncomfortable.''  
She nodded and watched as Shukaku closed his eyes, falling to sleep quickly. Alera didn't dare move, though she did try to relax.  
She took a deep breath, finding that the warmth that Shukaku radiated was slowly calming her frazzled nerves, lulling her into a daze.

**:) Thanks for reading. Please ignore any mistakes that I have made.**

**I don't own Naruto or it's characters.**


	68. Chapter 68

I felt a slight touch at my cheek and jerked with a gasp, my attention being forcefully drawn from the book in my hand.  
I looked up, finding Gaara looking at me with wide eyes.  
''I'm sorry!''  
I brought a hand to my throat, pushing my heart back into my chest where it belonged.  
''I think that you are beginning to make a habit of scaring me, Gaara.''  
He nodded, taking a hesitant step towards me.  
''You've been distracted.''  
I sighed, slowly placing the book on the table and reaching my arms out to him. Knowing that he wouldn't come any closer to me after startling me until I asked him to.  
''Sit with me?''  
A relieved smile lit his face and he lifted me into his arms, taking my spot and settling me on his lap.  
I snuggled into his chest, hearing the rumble of his voice as he spoke.  
''How did your research go?''  
I shrugged.  
''There are a lot of rules to follow for the wedding, I was reading about Shukaku when you came in.''  
He nodded and I felt him hesitate for a moment before speaking again.  
''I'm sorry that you heard the Council's discussion earlier.''  
I pulled away to look at him, my eyes wide.  
''How did you know that I heard them?''  
Gaara smirked and rolled his eyes, tightening his arms.  
''Do you not realize that I know when you're close by? Or when you're angry for that matter? It suddenly became so hot in the room that some of the Windbags were shedding their robes, and using their papers to fan themselves. And then, not a moment later it became cooler again.''  
I smiled sadly and nodded.  
''I'm sorry, Gaara.''  
He frowned, looking down at me.  
''What reason do you have to apologize, Love? Have you done something wrong?''  
I shrugged, leaning against him again.  
''No. I just hate how much trouble our relationship causes you.  
Gaara's eyes narrowed, his arms tightening around me.  
''Ria, listen to me: I wouldn't give up our relationship for anything. And think about it: Even if I HAD agreed to the council's demands, not that I would ever do, do you think that all of them would have agreed on a spouse for me? They can't even agree on a day for an upcoming festival. I have no intention of listening to those windbags about this. I am the Kazekage, and I will do what I think is best. And I want to marry YOU. Understand?''  
I smiled softly and nodded.  
He smirked and lowered his head to nuzzle against my neck, a movement that seemed to continue increasing after every full moon.  
He spoke after a moment, keeping his face buried against my neck, his lips moving gently across the skin.  
''Did you learn anything interesting about Shukaku while you were researching? He's been nagging at me since you told me you were reading his book.''  
I smiled and shrugged the shoulder he wasn't resting agaisnt.  
''I didn't get very far into it. I read through the wedding rules first. But from the first chapter, I gathered that he was violent and proud. More of a loner and didn't trust people easily. Also that he has a weakness to water.''  
Gaara was shaking lightly and I frowned as he spoke, a laugh in his voice.  
''It's actually just COLD water. I could have told you all of that, Love. If that's all it's going to tell you then that book is wasting your time.''  
I scoffed and crossed my arms over my chest.  
''Oh, bite me, Gaara.''  
I felt the smirk against my skin a moment before his teeth sunk harshly into where my shoulder and neck met.  
I gasped and jerked away, glaring at his amused look.  
''You bit me!''  
He nodded, his smug smirk widening.  
''I know. You told me too.''  
I shook my head, rubbing at the aching spot.  
''I've already explained this to you Gaara, it's a figure of speech.''  
He shrugged.  
''I know. But I thought that it would be a good time to show you to be careful about what you say. My mouth was already close to your skin.''  
I glared at him, pressing at what I was sure would be a bruise.  
''Warn me before you sink your teeth into me.''  
He shrugged and tugged at my hand, replacing it with his mouth, laying soft kisses against the abused skin.  
I turned my glare towards him, only being able to see the red hair.  
''I really should make you sit by yourself.''  
I felt him smirk.  
''Maybe. But you won't.''  
I frowned.  
''Why won't I?''  
He shrugged and laid another kiss to my skin.  
''Because you like sitting with me as much as I like having you there.''  
I huffed and reached towards the books lying on the table, only to be stopped as a hand clasped my wrist.  
I looked back at Gaara, seeing that he had lifted his head slightly, staring at me.  
''Don't. I want your attention right now. And you get so wrapped up in those books that you almost forget where you are.''  
I rolled my eyes, but relaxed against him, dropping my hand.  
''You're so spoiled.''  
He hummed, returning his mouth to my neck, tightening his arms and relaxing against the chair.  
''You can take the books home and finish reading them later.''  
I nodded and yawned.  
''Can I take a nap?''  
He nodded and lifted his head, pressing my cheek into his chest.  
''Yeah. We're staying in here for a while. I'm hiding.''  
I laughed and curled into him.  
''Okay. You should sleep a bit too.''  
He nodded and shifted slightly, becoming comfortable.  
''This isn't really what I would consider keeping your attention, but I suppose that I should have expected it. I DID get you up early.''  
I nodded and closed my eyes.  
''Yes you did. And now we're going to sleep.''  
He nodded and rested his head against mine, his breathing slowly evening out and lulling me to sleep.

I sighed and snuggled into the warm body I rested against, feeling the arms around me tighten.  
''Are you finally waking up?''  
I groaned, nuzzling my head into his chest.  
''No.''  
I felt him lay a kiss to my hair.  
''They'll start looking for us soon.''  
I laughed and shook my head.  
''Nu uh. They'll start looking for YOU! They don't even LIKE me.''  
Gaara pushed me away slightly, a frown on his face.  
''They will LEARN to like you. At least when I'm around.''  
I rolled my eyes.  
''That's not liking me, Gaara. That's PRETENDING to like me to please you.''  
He smirked smugly and tightened his arms.  
''I know.''  
I shook my head, slowly untangling myself from his arms and standing.  
''Like I said earlier. You're spoiled.''  
He nodded, standing from the chair, causing me to tilt my head back to look at him.  
''You are too tall.''  
He rolled his eyes and shook his head.  
''No, Love. You're just short. I'm average height.''  
I stuck my tongue out at him, but didn't get a chance to shoot back a smart mouthed comment before voices reached us, drifting through the heavy door.  
I looked at Gaara with wide eyes, seeing that he was shooting a hate filled glare at the door.  
He glanced back at me as the voices got louder, tugging me towards him, while his other hand reached for the books on the table.  
A moment later sand surrounded us, transporting us to his office.  
He released me once the sand fell, walking towards his chair and sitting with a sigh.  
''I don't want to do paperwork.''  
I laughed at the whiny tone that he used, looking at the pile of papers and scrolls that littered the desk.  
I looked back at Gaara, who was watching me. He held his arms out.  
''Come sit with me, Love.''  
I walked towards him, being pulled onto his lap when I was within arms reach.  
''Do you ever get tired of me sitting in your lap?''  
He was reaching towards a scroll and shook his head.  
''No. I like holding you. I know you're safe that way.''  
I frowned, preparing to inform him of my ability of taking care of myself, again, when he kissed me quickly.  
He pulled back just as quickly and smiled softly.  
''I know that you can protect yourself. But I like to know for CERTAIN that you're unharmed.''  
I nodded and reached for the books that he had placed on the desk, opening up the wedding rule book.  
I probably needed to figure out which ones I would need to follow, and which ones to toss out the window.

**Thanks for reading. **

**That's not the end of Shukaku's story, but Ria has some other things that have to be attended to first.**

**Please ignore any mistakes that I have made and review if you would like.**

**I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.**


	69. Chapter 69

It took me a whole week before I was even able to THINK about reading Shukaku's book again.  
The moment that I had walked into Gaara's home after researching the rules about Kazekage's weddings, I had confided to Temari about being a bit overwhelmed over all that I would have to do.  
After hearing that, my future sister-in-law had taken things into her own hands.  
She had surprised me the next day, bursting into Gaara's room after I had gone back to sleep, exclaiming that I needed to get up.  
She had called a designer friend of hers that had agreed to make my wedding dress, along with the dresses for the brides maids.  
I gaped at her while she had pulled clothes from my dresser, throwing them at me.  
''Ria! Get up! We have to go, we have an appointment.''  
I nodded, rushing to change into the clothes she had picked out for me.  
She picked up Butterball, cooing at him softly while I brushed my teeth.  
When I came back into the room, Temari was standing in the doorway, holding my shoes.  
''Let's go! We'll grab something to eat on the way.''  
I nodded, following as she led me from the house and towards a small shop.  
I looked around as we entered the shop, overwhelmed with all the fabric.  
Temari greeted a young girl behind a counter, who turned with a smile.  
''Hi Temari! What's going on?''  
Temari smiled and waved a hand towards me.  
''We have an appointment with Krissy. For Ria's wedding dress.''  
The girls eyes widened and she turned her gaze towards me.  
''So you're the one that is marrying Lord Kazekage? Me and the other girls have been trying to figure out what you looked like for months now. Have you been hiding?''  
I smiled slightly, knowing that the girl didn't mean to be rude, she was just curious.  
''I've walked around the market a few times. I just kinda blend in.''  
The girl frowned and Temari jumped in before she could reply.  
''We have a lot to do today. Can you go tell Krissy that we're here, please?''  
The girl nodded and Temari turned apologetic eyes towards me. I smiled and gave a dismissive wave, turning towards the middle aged woman that had entered the room.  
''Temari! I was wondering when you would get here. I have so much to show you, I started sketching after you called me last night. I've come up with some good candidates I think.''  
Temari smiled and pushed me forward.  
''Well, it's Ria's wedding, so it's her decision. But I'm sure that she would love to see your sketches.''  
I nodded, seeing the woman's smile widen. She motioned us to follow her, leading us into a small, well lit room, papers and fabric littering the small table.  
''You're shorter then I thought you would be, miss. So I will have to modify some of these dresses, but any of them would still be gorgeous on you.''  
I nodded, taking the sketch book that she held out and looked at the dress selection. Temari looking over my shoulder.  
She 'ooed' over one particular dress and I wrinkled my nose slightly.  
It had jeweled spaghetti straps, a high neckline but plunged low in the back, the fabric beginning again at the small of the back, a small diamond strap running horizontal across the center of the back.  
I shook my head, flipping to the next picture, finding a ballgown. The large, poofy skirt was layered, large flowers cascading down the side.  
I again wrinkled my nose and turned towards the third and final picture.  
This dress was designed in an A line style, the neckline dipping slightly, but still high enough to be comfortable. I heard Temari chuckle lightly.  
''I think she knows the one she wants, Krissy.''  
I nodded and the woman came to look at the picture, nodding knowingly.  
''That will be lovely on you. Much better then the ball gown would have.''  
I nodded, letting her take the book away, her eyes suddenly serious and calculating.  
''Alright. Let's get your measurements. Go behind that screen and strip down. I'll send Dori in in just a moment. I'll go find some fabric patterns for you to choose from.''  
I nodded and walked behind the pointed out screen, pulling off my baggy shirt.  
It didn't take long for the girl from earlier to step behind the screen, a tape measure around her neck and a notepad and pen in her hands.  
She looked over me curiously, before pulling the tape measure from her neck and moved towards me.  
''Alright. Lets get these measurements taken. Krissy is picking out some wonderful fabric.''  
I nodded, wincing as the cold tape measure wrapped around my waist. Dori beginning to ramble.  
''I can't believe that someone actually trapped Lord Kazekage into marriage. Most of us thought that he would always be single. He never showed any interest in any of the girls in the village. You must really be something special.''  
I felt my face heating slightly and shrugged.  
''Not really. Just someone that loves him.''  
Dori smiled, finishing with her measurements.  
''You'll have to forgive me if I don't really believe you. Lord Kazekage has had more than enough offers from his fan girls, but he never acknowledged that they existed. I'm ashamed to say that I was one of them. Following him around and fawning over him. At least until I met my boyfriend and figured out that I had been acting like an idiot.''  
I smiled slightly, not really having ever thought about Gaara having more fan girls than Matsuri.  
Dori smiled at me, wrapping the tape measure back around her neck and pointed to my clothes.  
''Go ahead and get dressed. I'm sure that Krissy has found you tons of options.''  
I nodded, pulling my clothes back on, before following her into another brightly lit room.  
Temari stood in the center of the room, holding up a blue, shimmery fabric, not noticing me until I spoke.  
''That's pretty.''  
Temari turned towards me, smiling softly.  
''I think so too. Have you decided what colors you want for your wedding? Or who your brides maids will be?''  
I bit my lip, realizing that I hadn't really decided on a lot.  
''Um, I would like Misa and Mona to be bridesmaids. And you, if you would like to be.'' I saw her eyes light up and I was suddenly engulfed in a tight hug.  
''Of course I want to be a bridesmaid!''  
I laughed and shook my head, hugging her back for a moment before pushing her away and looking at all of the fabric in the room.  
''As for your other question, I'm not sure. I know that your brother likes browns and reds. But I don't really like those color combinations.''  
Temari nodded, frowning in thought.  
''Gaara won't really care about the colors as long as YOU'RE happy. So what colors do YOU like?''  
I shrugged.  
''I like red too. And blue, black, silver, green, purple...Almost anything except yellow, and puke green.''  
Temari laughed and went to pick up a book filled with colored fabrics.  
She began to put colors together, seeing which ones complemented each other and which ones contrasted. I stopped her when I saw a dark shade of crimson, pointing it out.  
''I like that one.''  
She nodded and placed a silver next to it. I 'oohed' turning a smile towards her.  
''Those are pretty together.''  
She grinned at me and took the fabric from the book.  
''That was an easier decision than I thought it would be. Now we just need to decide how you want the dresses to look, and what colors you want them.''  
I nodded, glancing at Krissy who suddenly bursted into the room, more fabric in her arms.  
She smiled at us, laying the fabric on the table.  
''Come here you two. I've pulled some of our best fabric to show you. The future Lady Kazekage shouldn't be seen on her wedding day in anything mediocre.''  
I froze at hearing the title, frowning slightly. I wasn't sure how I would like being called that. Or what that would intitle. I shrugged it off, turning my attention back to the mater at hand, suddenly having bolts of fabric pushed into my face.  
I looked on with wide eyes as Temari and Krissy began to discuss which one would be best for the dress, taking into account the Suna heat.  
I frowned at the cloth that they held up, and rolled my eyes, letting them talk to each other while I looked on my own. I caught a sight of white fabric out of the corner of my eye and went to the corner of the room pushing away a light blue bolt, finding an ivory lace.  
I bit my lip, reaching towards the fabric, the entire bolt falling into my arms. I looked at it closely, turning to show Temari when my foot tangled in the blue fabric that I had pushed away a moment before.  
I tumbled backwards, landing hard on my butt and groaning softly.  
I saw two heads swing towards me, both sets of eyes widening, a gasp coming Krissy as Temari rushed towards me.  
''Are you all right, Ria?''  
I smiled and nodded.  
''Yeah. I'm just clumsy. But I found some fabric that I like!''  
Temari helped me to my feet, laughing as I rubbed at my sore backside and took the fabric from me.  
We walked back towards Krissy, who's eyes were wide, her hands shaking slightly.  
''I am so sorry! This place is such a mess and I should have warned you before you went exploring on your own.''  
I smiled at her and shook my head.  
''It's not your fault. I should have been paying attention. It was completely my fault.'' The older woman bit her lips, and Temari jumped in before I could wonder what was wrong.  
''There's no need to worry, Krissy. Gaara won't be angry that Ria fell. She trips at home all the time and he knows how clumsy she is.''  
I nodded quickly.  
''Yeah. And he just laughs at me. So it's really no big deal.''  
Krissy nodded and took the lace from Temari, looking over it.  
''I had completely forgotten about this. I have some cream silk that would look wonderful underneath this. Would that be alright?''  
I nodded, smiling widely.  
''I think that I would like that.''  
She nodded and placed the fabric on the table, picking up her sketch book.  
''I'm glad that we have your dress figured out. But we still need to decide on the bridesmaids styles. Do you know what you want?''  
I shrugged.  
''I want them in different styles. Though I think that all of them should be short? About knee length?''  
Krissy nodded, and began to draw.  
''Do you want them all the same color?''  
I shrugged.  
''I don't really care. Whatever you think is best. I'm not that great at this type of thing.''  
Krissy nodded, her hand flying across the paper, already sketching out the images in her mind.  
Temari touched my arm, motioning for me to follow her, which I did quietly. Once we reached the main room Temari smiled.  
''Krissy gets irritated when anyone intterupts her sketching.''  
I nodded, smiling at the waving Dori while we exited the shop.  
Butterball began to wriggle in Temari's arms when we stepped into the Suna sunlight.  
She set him on the ground and he ambled after us, his short legs trying to keep up with our fast pace.  
''Now that that's finished we can move on to other things. Like flowers, and guest lists...And food preparations.''  
I groaned, rubbing my eyes tiredly.  
''I'm glad that your here, Temari. I don't think I would be able to handle all these rules without you.''  
She grinned, reminding me of Kankuro's silly smile, making me laugh.  
I saw the Kazekage tower come into sight and bit my lip, looking at Temari hopefully.  
She sighed and handed the huffing panda to me.  
''Go on. I'm sure that Gaara will be happy to see you.''  
I smiled and hugged her quickly.  
''Thanks, Temari! We'll talk more when I get home, okay? About the wedding plans and stuff.''  
She laughed and returned my hug before pushing me away, towards the tower.  
''Go on, Ria! I'll see you later.''  
I nodded and jogged towards the tower, not pausing to acknowledge the strange looks that the villagers were giving me.  
I entered the tower, pausing by the secretary who was working on some papers.  
He looked up at me, waving a dismissive hand.  
''Lord Kazekage isn't in his office right now, but go ahead and wait for him in there. He's had a...pretty trying day.''  
I thanked him, sending him a small smile before entering the office, finding that the paperwork on the desk had increased.  
I placed Buterball on the floor before moving to sit in Gaara's chair, turning it too look out over Suna, enjoying the sunlight that streamed through the window. My mind began to wander. Thinking about what I had left to do for the wedding.  
I sighed, closing my tired eyes, letting the warm sunlight wash across my face, running over the rules of the wedding in my head and comparing them to the plans that I was making.  
I frowned as I felt something rough run over my bare skin, opening my eyes slightly to see what was irritating me, finding sand circling my wrists and ankles.  
I looked around the room not finding Gaara, but unable to turn the chair to look behind me since the sand had me pinned. I rolled my eyes, hearing movement behind me.  
''You know, I'm not sure how I feel about this whole not moving to see you thing.''  
I heard another movement a second before Gaara entered my vision, moving to lean over me, his arms coming to rest on the chair arms.  
The way he was positioned, his back against the sun, shadows covering his face made me unable to see his face. Though his voice as he spoke was low and full of amusement.  
''Hello, Love. Did you miss me?''  
I rolled my eyes and shrugged slightly.  
''Would I be here if I didn't?'  
I saw a flash of white, showing off his teeth as he grinned.  
''Probably not. Especially since this is earlier then you normally get up.''  
I nodded.  
''Your sister took me wedding dress shopping.''  
He nodded, leaning closer and burying his face in my neck.  
''I thought she might take over eventually. Temari always wanted someone to dress up. She tried a few times with Kankuro.''  
I laughed, tugging at my bonds.  
''Are you going to let me go anytime soon or just keep me pinned to the chair?''  
I felt him smirk against my skin, nipping lightly.  
''Hm. I would like to keep you like this. But I need my chair.''  
I nodded and he pulled away, causing me to squeak as he picked me up, taking my spot on the chair before settling me in his lap.  
He turned the chair back towards the desk while I frowned up at him.  
''Gaara. Your sand is still wrapped around me.''  
He nodded, pressing a kiss to my forehead.  
''I know that, Love. I'm making sure that you don't leave me until I let you.''  
I laughed and shook my head.  
''Alright, hon.''  
He smirked, pulling me closer, one of his hands accidently sliding over my hip, causing me to wince as a small twinge of pain went through me.  
Gaara noticed, his eyes instantly alert, his back stiffening.  
''Ria?''  
I smiled at him sheepishly, shrugging my shoulders.  
''I tripped when I was at the dress shop today. I fell on my butt and I think it's bruised.''  
Gaara blinked at me stupidly for a moment, before his body began to shake and he buried his face in my hair. His voice trembling when he spoke.  
''I can see that happening to you. Did you trip over a flat surface again, Love?''  
I huffed and shook my head.  
''No! My foot got wrapped up in some fabric.''  
He nodded, though his body continued to shake.  
''Whatever you say my love. You're still clumsy.''  
I sighed, shrugging slightly, deciding to change the subject.  
''I do have something that I need to discuss with you. About some of the rules that I read about.''  
He nodded and pulled away from me, his face turning serious.  
''Alright. Is something wrong?''  
I shrugged, bitting my lip.  
''I don't know. Some of them are just hard to fulfill. Like the ones concerning my family. Apparently it's required to have the brides parents present at the wedding. And I don't know how we would be able to do that. Not with Dolly and Die.''  
Gaara frowned and I could almost see the wheels in his head turning thoughtfully.  
''It's important to you for your family to be at our wedding. Right?''  
I hesitated, before nodding slowly.  
''Yeah. I mean, I don't want you to risk anything, or for them to get hurt, but I would like for them to be there.''  
He nodded before turning a confident smile towards me.  
I will take care of it, Love. They are your family and if you want them there, then they will be.''  
I smiled and kissed him quickly, sealing the deal.  
He smirked as I pulled back, lifting a hand to tangle in my hair, capturing my lips in a longer kiss.  
I pulled away after a few minutes, needing to draw in a breath. I leaned my head against his shoulder, resting against him.  
''I decided on the color theme to our wedding. How do you feel about crimson and silver?''  
He shrugged.  
''Whatever you want, Love. As long as you marry me, you could have a pink and lime green wedding and I wouldn't mind.''  
I laughed, the image of Gaara surrounded by hot pink gerber daisies and a lime green top hat too funny.  
When I shared this vision with him he scowled, shaking his head.  
''Nevermind. I don't want those colors. It would clash with my hair.''  
My calming laughter came back full force at that and I buried my face in his neck, feeling his pulse jump as my lips touched his skin.  
I calmed after a few more moments, inhaling the linguring scent of his shampoo. I felt his arms tighten around me as I nuzzled his neck, a smirk coming to my lips. It was time for some payback from the day before.  
I began to nip at his skin, feeling him tense under me, his pulse and breathing increasing.  
''Ria, what are you doing?''  
I shrugged, feeling his arms tightening around me as my teeth scrapped across his pulse.  
I hesitated before letting my teeth sink into that spot, pulling back slightly after hearing him gasp. I laid a soothing kiss to the abused skin before pulling away, finding his eyes dazed.  
He swallowed hard before speaking.  
''W...why did you do that?''  
I shrugged.  
''I thought that I owed you for biting me yesterday in the library.''  
He frowned, the haze in his eyes clearing slightly.  
''That's what biting feels like? And you COMPLAINED? That didn't hurt at all.''  
I stared at him for a moment before snickering.  
''I guess you liked that, huh?''  
He nodded, moving the collar of my shirt, finding the mark that he had left, passing his finger across the abused skin.  
''Will I have a mark like you?''  
I shrugged.  
''Maybe. I didn't bit you as hard as you did to me. So you might have a dark spot for a day or two, but your robes will cover it so it's not noticeable.''  
Gaara frowned.  
''I don't mind people seeing the marks you left on me.''  
I rolled my eyes laying a kiss to the mark I had made. I felt Gaara pause for a moment before tugging at my hair, causing me to pull back. I gave him a curious look, gasping as he slammed his mouth to mine, his lips moving harshly.  
I groaned softly, trying to pull my hands free from the binding sand, wanting to tangle them in his hair.  
I whined as the sand refused to budge, causing Gaara to pull away, nipping at my lip as he did so.  
''Something wrong, Love?''  
I felt myself pouting, holding up my arms.  
''Let me go?''  
Gaara hesitated before turning an impish smile towards me.  
''But I like having you like this.''  
I frowned.  
''But I can't hold onto you with my wrists tied up.''  
He sighed and I felt the sand slowly drifting away. The instant that I was free I moved to straddle him, bringing my hands up to tangle in his hair, smiling widely.  
''See? This is better.''  
He smirked, pulling me closer.  
''For the moment I guess you're right. It's easier for me to kiss you this way.''  
I nodded and leaned forward, letting him press his lips back to mine.  
I shifted myself closer tugging at his hair sharply, hearing a growl curl its way from his throat.  
His hands were clutching at my back, his fingers beginning to dig into the skin and I pulled away with a wince. Gaara snarled slightly, his mouth instantly lowering to my neck, nipping at the skin.  
I frowned, noticing for the first time that he was acting strangely. Almost like he did before the full moon, though that wasn't for another two weeks.  
I tugged at his hair, pulling him to look at me, seeing the hidden emotions in his eyes.  
''Gaara? What's wrong. hon?''  
He froze, his back stiffening and he looked away.  
''It's nothing. At least nothing that I can't handle.''  
I placed a hand on his cheek, moving his face towards mine.  
''I don't doubt that. But I know that it will make you feel better if you tell me what's wrong. I know that your secretary said that you have had a rough day. Why don't you tell me about it?''  
He hesitated before sighing, letting his head rest against my shoulder.  
''The council member that hurt you has escaped. He attacked the ninja's that I commissioned to watch him and fled Suna. He left a note saying that he would give away Suna secrets to neighboring villages if we went after him. The remaining Council Members are demanding his life. They're afraid that the other villages will attack us if they think they have an advantage.  
Which is ridiculous. We have a very good relationship with the Leaf now. It would be suicide for any of the other villages to attack us.''  
I nodded, wrapping my arms around him.  
''That sucks. What are you going to do?''  
He shrugged.  
''I don't know. I almost HAVE to send a team after him. He is a danger to Suna.''  
I sighed, running my fingers through his hair.  
''You do what you gotta do, hon. And what YOU think is best. Not what someone else tells you.''  
He smiled slightly.  
''I'll try, Ria. Though I'm not sure how all of this will turn out.''  
I shrugged, sending him a comforting smile.  
''It will be okay...Believe it!''  
He grinned, shaking his head slightly.  
''I'm sure that Naruto would be thrilled that you are picking up on his catch phrase.''  
I laughed and shook my head.  
''Only because it makes you smile.''  
He smiled, resting his head on top of mine.  
''Does Temari have Butterball?''  
I shook my head.  
''No. He's roaming around here somewhere.''  
Gaara lifted his head, searching for the panda, frowning when he couldn't find him.  
''He placed me on the floor, before standing, searching the room more thouraghly. I took over his chair, watching him in amusement as he knelt to look under the couch.  
I felt something move over my leg and looked under the desk, finding large brown eyes staring up at me.  
I laughed, catching Gaara's attention.  
''He's under the desk, hon.''  
Gaara frowned and moved towards me, leaning under the desk and picking up the panda.  
''You would make a better ninja then most of the shinobi that live in this village.''  
Butterball wagged his tail, causing Gaara to smirk before he placed him in my lap.  
''Will you stay with me the rest of the day.''  
I frowned.  
''I promised your sister that I would talk to her about the wedding plans tonight.''  
He frowned before looking out the window with a sigh.  
''I guess that's important. You said that there was a lot to do?''  
I nodded.  
''Yeah. But, Gaara, if you want me to stay here with you, than I will. I'm not going to ditch you for wedding planning if you need me.''  
He turned his eyes back to mine, smiling softly.  
''I'm fine, Love. You being here and talking with you has made me realize what I need to do. I'll need to inform the council of my decision. Then I have some paperwork that HAS to be done tonight but I'm going to try to be home for dinner. As long as you're cooking.''  
I smiled, nodding quickly.  
''Yeah. As long as you promise to be home I'll make sure that I'm the one that cooks...I'll even make you pancakes.''  
I saw his eyes light up, and he leaned down to kiss me quickly.  
''You have yourself a deal, Love!''  
I laughed and stood from the chair, the panda still in my arms.  
''I better get home then. Before Temari decides that SHE needs to cook.''  
He nodded quickly, though his hand grasped my arm, pulling me towards him. He wrapped his arms around me, leaning his cheek on my hair, just holding me for a moment.  
''Do you want me to walk you home?''  
I rolled my eyes.  
''No. I'll be fine. And it IS the middle of the day.''  
He nodded, his arms tightening around me. We stood like, enjoying the moment of silence... Until the door opened, causing Gaara to lift his head, throwing a glare at the intruder.  
I looked over my shoulder, seeing a Council Member and hid a sigh. This would make the second Council Member that had walked into Gaara's office, catching us in some sort of embrace. Unlike the last however, this one's eyes narrowed in a glare, his dislike for me apparent.  
His shoulders were stiff as he spoke, his voice harsh.  
''I have come to ask for your response to the discussion we had this morning.''  
Gaara's arms tightened and I saw that he was shooting icy daggers at the man when I turned to look at him. His voice cold when he answered.  
''Call a meeting. I'll be there in ten minutes.''  
The man nodded and was turning to leave when Gaara's voice stopped him. Causing the man to turn back around.  
''Shiro. You will treat my fiance with respect, unlike how you just did. Remember that she will hold the title of Lady Kazekage in a few months.''  
The man frowned before bowing slightly.  
''Forgive me. I will go find the other Council Members now.''  
Gaara growled when the door closed, his eyes flashing from aqua to gold.  
I frowned and stood on my toes laying a kiss to his lips quickly. He looked down at me, his face startled, his eyes fading to their normal color.  
''Ria?''  
I smiled softly.  
''You can't get angry every time someone disapproves of our relationship, Gaara. I am an outsider from a non-ninja village, with no political ties or experience. It was pointed out to me today that I keep to myself for the most part. Which is true.''  
Gaara frowned.  
''What do you mean? You go to the market.''  
I shrugged.  
''But not very often. And it's not like I stand out when I'm there. Unless I'm with you or Temari, very few people think that I'm anything but a visitor. So it's no wonder why some of the council is weary of me.''  
He sighed and shook his head.  
''They should trust my judgment enough to not question my decisions.''  
I nodded, leaning against him, being careful not to smother the panda that I still held in my arms.  
''They should. But let them get used to me before you go bazeerk on them. Okay?''  
Gaara nodded slowly, laying a kiss to my forehead.  
''Yeah. I guess I was about to loose my control.''  
I smiled and nodded, giving him another kiss before pulling out of his arms.  
''Alright. I'm going to go home. I don't want you late for your meeting.''  
He sighed.  
''Alright, Love. I'll see you at home. Be safe.''  
I nodded, giving him a bright smile while walking towards the door.  
''I will be. Love you.''  
He smiled.  
''I love you too, Ria.''  
I shifted Butterball, sending Gaara a small wave before walking out the door, finding that the secretary was strangely missing from his post.  
I shrugged, not really caring about what he was doing and left the Kazekage tower, making my way back towards Gaara's home.

**...That was a long chapter. Thanks for reading!**

**Review if you like. I don't own Naruto or it's characters. **

**Please ignore any mistakes that I have made.**

**:)**


	70. Chapter 70

Four weeks later and I had decided that wedding planning had taken over my life.  
It seemed like every moment, from the time I woke up, to the time I fell into bed at night, Temari had me talking about wedding plans.  
I didn't realize how much there was to getting married.  
Flowers, food, seating, on and on until I wanted to just throw my hands into the air and convince Gaara to elope. Who needs a wedding anyways, right?  
Speaking of Gaara, he was probably the only reason why I hadn't gone insane. He was coming home early each night, dragging me away from Temari, knowing that I was getting irritated with all of the details.  
The one night that I had been able to spend some time away from the wedding planning, Temari being sent on a small mission, happened to be during the full moon. So I spent most of the day and all of the night cuddling Gaara.  
He seemed to be getting used to controlling Shukaku again. At least he didn't hurt himself. But he DID spend most of the time in a half consciousness talking to the Tanuki and clutching at my back.  
I could never tell what the discussion was about, but I heard my name spoken a few times so I was pretty sure that it was about me. Especially since I knew that he had been worried since he hadn't been able to locate the escaped ex-council member. And he had told me that he was a bit frightened that the man might try to send people to hurt me again.  
I had told him that he really didn't have a reason to get rid of me anymore, which Gaara had grudgingly accepted. But I knew that he still held onto some doubts.  
This full moon was a bit different then the others. Shukaku managing to convince Gaara into letting him talk to me. Something that I definatly wasn't prepared for. One moment, Gaara was laying down, his head pillowed on my stomach, his fingers digging into my hips and in the next his body relaxed, gold eyes staring up at me.  
I squeaked softly when I noticed this, seeing Shukaku smirk, untangling himself from me and sitting up.  
''Hello again. Are you going to stop gaping at me or simply lay there looking stupid?''  
I closed my mouth, quickly pushing myself into a sitting position and putting a bit of distance between myself and the amused creature.  
''Did you take over Gaara against his will again?''  
Shukaku shook his head.  
''No. I talked the boy into letting me talk to you. He has the complete ability to take control back at any time.''  
I frowned, hugging a pillow to me.  
''Why do you need to talk to me?''  
He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.  
''There's a few issues that I think need to be brought out, since you seem determined to dig into my past.''  
He shot me a glare and I laughed nervously, shrugging slightly.  
''I was curious. Especially after that dream I had.''  
He sneered, nodding slightly.  
''I know. And since you're marrying the boy, I suppose that it's only natural that you want to know. As for that DREAM, let me explain about why that happened. Though the boy was mostly right there are some things that he hasn't realized. But before we get into that...What is WRONG in that brain of yours to think that my true form was 'CUTE?'''  
I laughed, burying my face in the pillow I was holding, feeling my face heat slightly.  
I could feel Shukaku getting irritated, his agitated shifting betraying his calm tone.  
I looked up, trying to force down some stray giggles, though not really succeeding.  
''Because you were. You had a fluffy tail. I told you once that I thought Raccoons were cute and though I never thought that I would see you in any other form but Gaara's, I thought that you would have to of been adorable too. But, seriously Shukaku, I don't know how anyone was scared of you when you had those ears and that tail!''  
I was laughing again and I saw Shukaku's eyes flashing dangerously. I brought the pillow back over my mouth, but kept my eyes on him.  
He finally sighed, leaning back on his hands slightly.  
''It doesn't matter, I suppose. I will never be in that form again. When the priestess sealed me away after I was captured, that human like form died. Leaving me with my less powerful animal form. Though, with how strange your mind is, you would probably think that my animal form was 'cute' as well. Since it resembles a raccoon more then the human form.''  
I shrugged, not really knowing the answer since I had never seen his 'animal form.'  
He cleared his throat, drawing us both out of our separate thoughts.  
''Anyways, like I said before, the boy was mostly right concerning why you were able to see into my past. There has never been a point where a tailed creature accepted his vessels choice of mate. Especially for those of us that lived solitary lives such as the Kyubbi and myself. For the most part we preferred to keep our distance from you humans.  
But now, since we are locked inside of our host's bodies, we have no choice but to interact with you tedious creatures. Though we do make our disgust for the species known. Which I have done since I was placed into the boy. Which is one of the reasons why he is so stand offish. I've influenced his decisions.  
So for one of us to ACCTUALLY show a preference to someone NOT our host is more then strange.''  
I grinned.  
''But YOU'VE accepted me.''  
Shukaku grimaced but nodded.  
''Apparently. Though I'm not sure how that happened. You are a strange girl.''  
I laughed and nodded.  
''Yeah, I know. So, why does your accepting me enable me to see your memories?''  
He sighed.  
''Because of what I am and the fact that I am bonded with the boy he gains some of my powers, things that normal humans can never imagine. When my species decides on a mate we don't have a ceremony to bind us like you humans. But it is also more binding then a 'wedding.'  
The boy has already chosen you as his mate, and because of that, even though you hadn't noticed it, the bonding process had already started.''  
I frowned, leaning forwards.  
''What does that mean, exactly?''  
He shrugged.  
''It won't affect you physically.''  
He smiled suddenly, flashing elongated canines.  
''Though I think that you would enjoy having raccoon ears and a 'fluffy' tail.''  
I smiled slightly as he continued.  
''But you will start realizing little things that you hadn't been able to do before. At least where the boy is concerned. You're going to know when he's close without having to see him. You will know when he is upset or angry. And you will start to crave his presence more then you used to.''  
I bit my lip.  
''I have noticed that I want to be around him more often. And that I'm a bit lonely when he is gone. Even with Temari a few feet away from me. I hadn't had a problem with that until about three weeks ago. I mean I missed him, but...''  
Shukaku nodded.  
''I know. And that will never go away. Like I said: the bonding process has started.''  
I frowned.  
''And this 'bonding' has something to do with why I am able to see your memories?''  
Shukaku nodded.  
''When you are asleep, your subconscious is more succeptable to roaming thoughts. You are able to link your thoughts and dreams with the boys. Something that can be both a blessing and a curse. Because the boy wasn't asleep and had the guard on his mind up, your mind linked with mine. Something that would have never happened had I realized how linked the two of you already were. But I didn't have the walls around my mind up. I will have to be more careful about that from now on. Especially since you don't know how to control that syncing ability yet.''  
I smiled slightly.  
''What? You don't want me snooping around in your memories?''  
He rolled his eyes.  
''Hell no. You need to keep your mind to yourself or with the boy. You can stay out of my brain.''  
I laughed and nodded.  
''So this might happen again, only with Gaara?''  
He nodded.  
''It is very likely. If not an absolute. The boy and yourself are more linked then I ever thought was possible.''  
He was looking at me closely and I could feel my face heating slightly in a blush and I brought the pillow up higher.  
Shukaku smirked for just a second before giving me a stern look.  
''Another thing that we need to discuss is your curiosity about my past.''  
I bit my lip, a bit worried about how he would react to my research. He surprised me by sighing softly.  
''I know that you've been reading the book that the priestess and my first vessel wrote about me. The majority of that story is true, though there are certain areas that were embellished to make me seem like more of a monster than I had been at that time. Once you finish reading that book, I will discuss it with you.''  
I smiled, suddenly moving onto my knees.  
''Really? You don't mind talking about it?''  
Shukaku shrugged.  
''Whether I do or not, I know that you will try to talk to the boy about it, and the truth is that he doesn't know a lot of what happened. He resented me from the start and learned how to separate his mind from mine very early.''  
I frowned slightly, not sure what to say to that when Shukaku looked towards the window.  
''The sun will be up soon. I need to give the boy back his body.''  
I nodded, watching as Shukaku took a deep breath and closed his eyes.  
A second later a pair of hazy aqua eyes locked with mine, Gaara groaning softly. He crawled towards me, wrapping his arms around my hips and leaned his head against my chest.  
''I always feel a little dizzy after Shukaku takes over.''  
I nodded and wrapped my arms around him.  
''I had a nice talk with him though.''  
Gaara nodded.  
''So I heard. It will be nice not to have to worry about startling you when your busy with something,''  
I nodded, fully in agreement with him.  
''Yeah. I won't have to worry about having a heart attack any time soon.''  
I felt him smile and he nuzzled into me.  
''We should probably go to sleep now. The sun is maybe five minutes from rising, and you will need your rest for dealing with my sister.''  
I groaned, laying us down and letting Gaara rest against me, glad that the full moon was over for another month.  
That had all happened around two weeks before, and I STILL hadn't finished Shukaku's book. It was starting to bug me.  
I glanced at Butterball who was sitting by my chair as Temari rattled off a list of catterers that she thought would be best for the wedding dinner, wanting me to pick one.  
I sighed and shrugged.  
''I don't know Temari. You pick.''  
She frowned, but nodded slowly.  
''Alright...Ria, is something wrong?''  
I looked at her quickly, seeing her concerned face and sighed, shaking my head slowly.  
''No. I just never realized how tedious all of this would be. It's a bit stressful.''  
Her eyes widened, her voice frantic as she spoke.  
''I don't want you to stress, Ria. That will do horrors to your complexion!''  
I laughed, picking up Butterball and placing him on my lap.  
''I'll be alright. Don't worry about me. I know that there is still a lot that has to be decided on.''  
Temari frowned, before gathering the scattered papers and standing.  
''No. I won't let this planning make you sick. I'll take care of everything that we've already decided on. I'll go order the flowers and check up on the dresses. You go upstairs and take a nap. I know that you'll want to make dinner tonight, but for now I want you to go upstairs and rest.''  
I bit my lip.  
''But, Temari...''  
She cut me off by covering her ears and humming loudly until I had stopped speaking.  
''No! I'm pulling the age card. I'm older than you and know better. Now go to your room.''  
I giggled lightly and stood from the table.  
''Alright. I'll see you when I get up then.''  
She nodded and took Butterball from me.  
''I'll take the panda with me. Now go on! Get some rest.''  
I nodded and did as she ordered, making my way towards my room. I closed the door behind me, glancing at the desk where I had left Shukaku's book.  
I bit my lip and glanced at the door.  
Temari had told me to relax, but I wasn't really tired and didn't want a nap. I looked back at the book and sighed.  
Screw it. I was going to finish that book before I started dinner.  
I grabbed the book from the desk and settled myself on the bed, piling pillows behind me.  
I took a deep breath, knowing that the ending of this book wouldn't be pleasant and opened to where I had left off, again loosing myself in the story.

Shukaku spent three weeks in Alera's home. Getting to know the aquatic creature, and finding that he had at some point started to care for her.  
He had been well for at least a week, but started making up reasons to stay. It was too cold outside. His clothes were dirty. He didn't get enough sleep the night before. His body was achy. The list went on and on, but Alera simply nodded each time, inviting him to stay another night.  
By the end of that third week however, Shukaku couldn't even find the slightest thing wrong to use as an excuse to stay.  
He stood by the front door, a small pack slung over his shoulder, full of food that Alera had made for his journey. He was still going to find the rare treasure, so it would still take him a good month to get home.  
Alera stood beside him, biting her lip lightly.  
''If...If you feel like it, and aren't in too much of a hurry to get to your home, you can always come back to stay the night here. You'll probably use a lot of energy trying to capture that castle...''  
Shukaku hid a smile, knowing that she just wanted to see him again. Maybe Alera had become a little fond of him as well?  
Shukaku nodded, putting on an indifferant face.  
''Maybe. We will have to see.''  
Alera nodded, hiding a smile. By now she had gotten used to his contrary manners. So she watched him leave, expecting him to come back in a few days.  
Shukaku left Alera's home, forcing himself to not look back. He couldn't figure out why he felt the way he did. For some reason he didn't want to leave her. And he didn't care about the treasure so much either. His walking slowed until he came to an abrupt stop.  
He cared for her. That's what this feeling was. He had never cared for anyone before. He wasn't sure he liked it.  
He frowned, looking back at the small house that was a good distance behind him. It seemed like the further he walked, the more he wanted to return to her home. Shukaku groaned, rubbing at suddenly tired eyes.  
He growled fiercely before turning back towards the house and stalking towards it. He threw open the door, not bothering to knock and bellowed for the girl.  
''Alera!''  
The startled women stumbled her way from the kitchen, her eyes wide.  
Shukaku's eyes narrowed upon seeing her, motioning for her to come closer. Alera took a few hesitant steps towards him, biting her lip harshly.  
When she was within grabbing distance, Shukaku's arm shot out, his hand wrapping around her upper arm and jerking her until she crashed into his chest.  
She looked up at him with wide eyes, not sure what he was doing and gasped when he captured her lips in a harsh kiss.  
Shukaku growled, deepening the kiss, while his arms wrapped around her small body, crushing her to him.  
Alera hesitated for a moment before lifting her arms and tangling her fingers in his hair, scraping across his ears lightly.  
Shukaku held in a groan as she touched his sensitive ears. He pulled away, finding that Alera's eyes had taken on a hazy glaze.  
He smirked, tightening his arms.  
''Come back with me.''  
Alera blinked, trying to clear the fog from her brain and staring up at Shukaku.  
''What?''  
He sighed.  
''I want you to return to my home with me.''  
Alera bit her lip.  
''Why? Why do you want me?''  
Shukaku growled.  
''I don't know. I just can't seem to leave you here. So come with me.''  
Alera hesitated before nodding.  
''Alright. Just...let me go pack some things.''  
Shukaku nodded and waited as Alera ran from the room. He could hear some shuffling movements and let his mind wander.  
What was he doing? Why did he want her?  
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. There was something seriously wrong with him.  
A moment later, Alera came back, another pack slung over her own shoulder.  
She looked up at Shukaku, gnawing on her lip.  
''Are you ready to go?''  
Shukaku nodded before turning on his heel and leading Alera out of the house.  
She looked over her shoulder, saying a goodbye to what had been her home for over 8 years.  
She sighed before turning away and following the fast moving Shukaku.

It took them two weeks to reach Shukaku's home. A large castle in the middle of the desert, though Alera could see an oasis about a mile behind the large castle. That must be where they got their water.  
Shukaku led her into his home, seeing that his servants had kept the place clean for his return.  
He could feel Alera looking around at the large room. But before he could tell her anything about his home, his head servant Syre was walking towards him, a large smile on his face.  
''Master Shukaku! We were beginning to worry about you, since you were gone longer then you said that you would be.''  
Shukaku sneered.  
''I've told you before, Syre that there is no need to worry about me. I am one of the most powerful creatures in this plane. I can kill anything that gets in my way.''  
Syre nodded, his smile slowly disappearing when he noticed the blue haired woman behind his master.  
Alera hid behind Shukaku, not liking the sinister intentions that she read off of the man. Syre put on his best fake smile, taking a step towards the hiding woman.  
''And who is this?''  
Shukaku growled, not liking the way Syre looked at Alera.  
''It doesn't matter. Just know that she is mine and you, along with all of the other servants will get her whatever she needs. You will treat her with as much respect as you give me. If you don't, I will gladly tear you to pieces.''  
Syre nodded quickly, shifting his eyes from the small woman back to his master.  
''Of course. I will inform the staff immediately.''  
Shukaku nodded before grabbing onto Alera's wrist and leading her up the stairs.  
Syre watched them go, a sneer coming to his lips.  
This was not good. The plans that Syre had set involved Shukaku to be to not be tied down. This girl was ruining that. And she wasn't even powerful! She was just some lowly pond scum.  
Syre growled lowly, startling a maid that had come to check on the missing head servant.  
Syre turned away from her, coming up with a plan to get rid of his masters new plaything.

Shukaku dragged Alera to his room, throwing their bags to the floor and Alera to the bed.  
The small woman giggled lightly, hugging the Tanuki when he crawled over her. They had become more comfortable with touching on their trip back to his home. Shukaku discovering that he liked physical contact much more than he ever thought he would.  
Shukaku felt like he was smothering the small woman, but her tight arms refused to budge from around his shoulders.  
''What do you think of my home?''  
Alera smiled.  
''It's very pretty. At least what I saw of it. This room reminds me of you.''  
Shukaku smirked.  
''That's because this is MY room. Though I suppose it would be called OUR room now. I'm not letting you sleep in any other one.''  
Alera nodded, pulling the leather band from his hair and dragging her fingers through the tangled strands.  
''I like sleeping with you.''  
Shukaku shot her a grin, causing her to blush brightly when she noticed the perverted sight.  
''Not like that!''  
Shukaku chuckled, nuzzling his nose into her neck.  
''I know what you meant. But I felt like teasing you.''  
Alera nodded before yawning lightly.  
''Can we sleep for a bit? I know that you will need to talk to your servants, but I am so tired...''  
Shukaku nodded, rolling off of the small woman and pulling her to his chest.  
''Of course. Go to sleep. We'll make our announcement to my servants when you wake.''  
Alera nodded, laying a kiss to his chest, where his shirt had come unwrapped.  
Shukaku waited until he heard her breathing even out before letting his mind wander about what they had done on their way back to his home.  
He had mated with her. On the second day into their journey. They had been resting by a large body of water when Alera had decided to take a swim. She had gone a little further downstream, hiding behind the bushes before stripping out of her simple clothes and stepping into the water.  
She sighed as the cool water flowed over her skin. She had missed being in the water. She was an aquatic creature after all.  
She dove under the waves, not realizing that she was being watched. Shukaku had stared in facination as she swam deep into the lake, not coming up to the surface for over five minutes.  
He walked to the edge of the lake, looking down into the clear water, trying to see her.  
He was startled when cool water was splashed at him from his left.  
He growled, moving into a battle stance before freezing at what he saw.  
Alera tredded the water, her aqua hair fanning out behind her. Her bright smile directed at him.  
''You can always join me you know? You don't have to stand there.''  
Shukaku shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.  
''It's too cold.''  
Alera shook her head, before diving and coming back up directly in front of him.  
''No. It's perfect.''  
Shukaku smirked and knelt on the grass in front of her.  
Her eyes were sparkling in a way that he hadn't seen from her before, and before he could stop himself, he was reaching towards her, his hands tangling in her hair and bringing her up so her lips could touch his.  
This was the second time he had kissed her and it felt even better then the first. But he still didn't know why he was so drawn to her. He felt wet arms wrapping around his neck a moment before he was pulled into the water.  
Normally he would have been angry about being pulled into the water. But the water was warm and Alera's body was even warmer as she clung to him.  
He had made her his mate that day. Not knowing why, but knowing that it was what was destined for him. She belonged to him now. And the mark on her neck proved it. Though he hadn't expected the sudden rush of emotions that came with the bonding. Alera's feelings had flooded into him, letting him realize what he meant to her, and her thoughts entered his mind as well at some of the most unexpected times.  
He smirked now, running his fingers through the small woman's hair, the calming motions along with her deep breathing slowly lulling him to sleep.

He should have realized how hard it would be for his servants to accept Alera. They were self-serving, cruel creatures that would betray you in a minute if they thought it would save their own skin. That's why he kept them. He hadn't wanted friends, or loyalty. Simply creatures that were afraid of him and would do their job because of that fear.  
But he didn't think of that before bringing Alera to his castle. And he was regretting it. He had seen the spiteful glances that everyone in the castle gave her. Heard the cruel remarks that they made when they thought he wasn't in hearing distance.  
It was time for an exhibition. Reminding them that he was in charge and he wouldn't stand for anyone critisizing him or plotting to hurt his mate.  
Shukaku sent Alera to the oasis behind his home, telling her to swim in the large body of water for as long as she liked. He would come to get her when he was finished with his 'talk.'  
Alera didn't even question him. Simply smiled, grabbed some bread and cheese from the kitchen and made her way towards the oasis.  
Shukaku waited about ten minutes before calling for his staff, waiting impatiently for them.  
Once he was sure all of them were there he called two of the maids towards him. These two having been the most cruel to Alera.  
He let the sand that he controlled surround them, stopping their movements.  
Their eyes were wide as they stared at their master, bodies trembling when they caught the look of death in his gaze.  
Shukaku turned towards his other servants seeing their surprised faces. He waved a hand towards the two bound women, snarling.  
''I want to make it as clear as possible to all of you about how serious I am about what I have to say. And I thought that my point might get across better if I had some examples.''  
He waved a hand at the two girls.  
''These two have been disrespecting my mate. Something that I will NOT allow.''  
He turned a snarl towards the maids, tightening the sand that surrounded them, causing them to gasp.  
He felt the thrill of a potential kill run through him as the maids began to scream. He could feel the fear of the rest of the servants as they watched him crush the life from their bodies. He exhaled deeply as, with one final crunch, the light in their eyes faded.  
Shukaku turned towards his servants, who all stared at him with wide eyes, a horror filled expression on their faces.  
He smirked, feeling the blood lust fade slowly.  
''Remember this when you talk to my mate. If I find out that any other of you talk down to her again, or intentienally hurt her, I will not hesitate to slowly dismember you and bathe in your blood.''  
He could feel the fear that his words caused and smirked evilly before leaving the castle, going to find Alera.

Alera sighed as she relaxed in the large indoor hot spring that rested in the lower levels of Shukaku's castle. Her hands resting on her swelling stomach.  
She had been in this place for three months and had found out that she would have Shukaku's child within the first six weeks. He had been silent for a few moments when she had first told him, but had smiled softly when the shock wore off. His feelings a happy blur.  
Alera smiled, ducking under the water and letting her hair spread out behind her.  
She could feel Shukaku approaching the spring and popped her head up out of the water, grinning at him.  
''Hello there. Would you like to join me?''  
Shukaku smirked, before shaking his head.  
''No. I have to go stop a horde of lower class creatures that Syre said he heard was marching this way. I won't have them coming into my territory.''  
Alera nodded, frowning softly.  
''Can I go with you?''  
Shukaku shook his head, reaching down to pull her out of the water and into his chest.  
''No. It will be too hot for you out in the dessert. I won't be gone long, maybe three hours at the most.''  
Alera pouted up at him, causing him to smirk and lay a kiss to her forehead.  
''Go find something to eat and then go lay down. I can feel how tired you are.''  
Alera sighed before smiling at him.  
''It seems like I'm always tired. Or hungry.''  
He shrugged before handing her dress to her, which she slipped on quickly. He kissed her lightly before sighing.  
''I have to go now. I don't want those weaklings getting closer.''  
Alera nodded.  
''Alright. I love you Shukaku.''  
She saw him stiffen before turning a hesitant smile towards her.  
''I know. I'll see you in a few hours.''  
Alera nodded and watched him leave with a small smile. She yawned largely and decided against eating in favor of sleep. She would just get something when she woke up.

Alera stood in the middle of what had just recently become her's and Shukaku's room.  
She could feel the fearful tears running down her cheeks as Syre blocked the doorway, a sharp blade in his hand.  
He sneered at her, the week creature making him feel physically ill.  
''Do you know why I'm doing this?''  
Alera shook her head, taking an unsteady step towards the window when Syre took a step forwards.  
''You are making my master weak. You, and this child. He's losing the killing instinct that made him so terrifying. In order to return him to that state of power, I need to get rid of you.''  
Alera shook her head.  
''Please don't do this.''  
Syre snarled.  
''Begging? How pathetic are you? Just like the rest of your people. You're useless and emotional.''  
Alera bit her lip.  
''You were the one that killed my clan? Weren't you?''  
Syre smirked, nodding slowly.  
''Yes. Myself and a few others. They had a pointless existence. Just like you.''  
Alera shook her head, reaching the window and looking to see how far of a drop it was. She was on the third floor.  
She bit her lip, glanced back at the slowly advancing creature before throwing open the window and taking a leap out of it.  
She could feel Syre trying to grab onto her hair. She hit the sand hard, feeling several of her ribs snap, her arm breaking and the bone puncturing the skin.  
Alera stumbled to her feet, determined to find Shukaku.  
She clutched at her broken ribs, finding it hard to breathe.  
Alera tried to run, knowing that Syre would come after her if she didn't hurry. But her ribs throbbed with every step.  
She heard the steps behind her, a moment before a sharp pain went through her stomach.  
She gasped and looked down, finding the blade of a sword sticking out of her. She fell to her knees as the blade was pulled out, letting the wound bleed freely.  
Alera felt the tears beginning to run down her face, knowing that not only she, but the baby inside of her would die soon.  
She staggered again to her feet, not even bothering to put pressure on the wound. She only wanted to see Shukaku one last time. To say goodbye.  
She stumbled across the hot sand, feeling the blazing sun beating down on her. She had managed to walk until the hills of sand hid the large castle before falling. She sobbed, unable to lift her body.  
Her blood began to soak into the sand, turning the golden grains a dark brown. Alera closed her eyes, wanting to cry but too dehydrated to even form tears.  
She gave a dry sob, not hearing the footsteps that stopped beside her. Though she did feel the hands that gently turned her over. She opened her eyes, biting her lip when she saw Shukaku.  
He ran his eyes over her, seeing the large bloodstain that covered her abdamon, the way the bone of her arm protruded from the skin and the way she gasped in breath, instantly knowing that her ribs were shattered.  
He swallowed hard, trying to get his voice to work.  
''Alera. We need to get you home. Let me carry you.''  
Alera shook her head.  
''It doesn't matter anymore, Shukaku. I felt the baby die a while ago. And I will follow it soon. I can't feel my body anymore. Which I suppose is good because it causes me not to feel the pain either.''  
Shukaku shook his head, his vision blurring.  
He saw Alera smile softly.  
''Don't cry, Shukaku.''  
He shook his head. Was that what these small droplets of water were? Tears? He had never cried before.  
''Who did this to you, Alera? I will tear them apart.''  
Alera shook her head, frowning.  
''No. Don't get revenge for me. I don't want you too. I want you to be happy. Find someone else that you can love. And have lots of children.''  
Shukaku shook his head.  
''No. I love you. I will ALWAYS love you. I don't want anyone else.''  
Alera smiled. That was the first time, and would most likely be the last that she would ever hear Shukaku say that he loved her.  
''I love you too, Shukaku.''  
Her eyes were becoming heavy and Shukaku pulled her to his chest, holding her tightly.  
''I'm so tired Shukaku. So very very tired.''  
Shukaku closed his eyes, leaning over her and burying his face in her sweat and blood soaked hair. He knew the instant that she died. The breath leaving her lungs with a small sigh, her body going limp.  
He felt the sob that filled his lungs, but forced it back. He held her, feeling her body become cold, even in the desert heat.  
Shukaku laid her gently on the ground, releasing her from his arms and standing. He looked down at her, feeling the sadness and anger in his soul erupt. He roared, releasing the grief into the air, his anger causing the blood soaked sand to swirl around him. He would find the creature that had done this. And he would make them suffer. He would make them regret making him hurt the way that he was hurting.  
Shukaku made his way to his castle, positive that he knew who had hurt his mate. When he had mentioned getting revenge for her, he had seen a flash of her memories. Another effect of the bonding.  
He entered his home, instantly looking for Syre. He found him, sitting in the den, a small smile on his face while he drank alcohol from a large glass.  
Shukaku growled, causing Syre to jump from the chair, turning to face his master quickly, his body visibly shaking.  
''Master Shukaku! I wasn't expecting you home so quickly.''  
Shukaku crossed his arms, forcing himself to not just kill the snivilling male.  
''There were no tresspassers. But tell me Syre. Where is Alera? My mate doesn't seem to be in the castle.''  
He saw Syre swallow hard, before putting on a fake smile.  
''I'm sure she is around, Master.''  
Shukaku growled, no longer being able to keep up his charade.  
''No, she's not. And you know it. You killed her Syre. You murdered my mate and my child. I warned you, if you hurt her that I would kill you. And I don't make idle threats. I will make you suffer like you've never even thought possible.''  
Syre took a step away, raising his hands as if that would be an effective barrier between them.  
''But...Master! You don't understand, I did this for you! You were becoming weak. With them dead...''  
Shukaku's roar cut him off, the weaker male already knowing that he had made a horrible mistake.  
He felt sand wrapping around him, crushing any hope of escape. Syre looked down noticing the strange color of the sand and smelled the familiar scent of blood.  
Blood soaked sand was slowly crushing the small bones of his wrists and ankles.  
Shukaku walked towards him, picking up the small parring knife that Syre had been using to cut apart a small fruit.  
His eyes widened as his master advanced.  
Shukaku lifted one of Syre's hand, bringing the knife to his first finger and cutting it off at the first joint.  
Syre screamed, the sharp knife slicing through the skin and bone.  
Shukaku smiled, enjoying the screams of his victim before moving on to another finger.

/

By the time Shukaku's blood lust was satisfied, Syre was a writhing, bleeding mess. Hardly recognizable as anything resembling a once human like creature.  
Body parts were thrown across the room, blood covering the furniture and the walls.  
Shukaku left the barely alive Syre lying on the floor before leaving the castle. As he walked away, he collapsed the sand that held up the castle, letting his home become buried, and killing all of the remaining servants. Though most had apparently fled when they found out what Syre had done. The fools that hadn't were crushed by tons and tons of sand.  
Shukaku walked for what seemed like days, fighting those that crossed his path, secretly hoping that one of them would kill him. His will to live was slowly waning, but he couldn't find anyone strong enough to kill him.  
He came across a human, his chakra large compared to others that he had met. So he attacked. Soon finding that he was too weak from lack of food and sleep to even stand against a simple human.  
The human wasn't alone however, and Shukaku was soon surrounded. He sneered at the pathetic attempt at an ambush, but soon frowned when he recognized a priestess, her robes giving her away.  
She pulled out a small urn, chanting softly while Shukaku attacked the men. He injured three of them before the Priestesses chanting reached his ears, stopping him. He covered his ears, feeling a jutsu surrounding him.  
He regretted attacking them as soon as he realized what the chant was. A sealing jutsu. Something worse then the death that he wished for. He groaned as he felt his soul being transferred to the urn, knowing that the life he would live from that point on would be in the hands of the weaker hands of humans.

**Ye**s, **I know that it's sad. But SOMETHING had to have happened to make Shukaku dislike feelings so much. **

**Thank you for reading, I know that this was one of my favorite parts to write, though the ending made me a bit sad.**

**I don't own Naruto or it's characters.**

**Review if you like to and ignore any mistakes that I made.**

**ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!**


	71. Chapter 71

I stared at the book, suddenly horrified. No wonder Shukaku was so terrified about Gaara getting close to someone. He didn't want to feel the way he felt when Alera died again. Even if it was dulled by another's mind.  
I sighed, leaning back against the pillows, thinking about how to approach Shukaku about what I had read.  
I don't know how long I sat there, but I was drawn from my thoughts by the sound of the downstairs door opened.  
I smiled and ran from the room, down the stairs and threw myself into Gaara's arms.  
He grinned, and kissed my hair softly.  
''Hello, Love. What have you been up to today?''  
I shrugged, wrapping my legs around his waist as he lifted me higher, walking us to the kitchen.  
''I finished Shukaku's book.''  
Gaara frowned, but nodded.  
''Did it answer your questions?''  
I nodded, unwrapping my legs from around him as he placed me on the counter.  
''Yeah. Though I'm not sure how I feel about what happened to him.''  
Gaara sighed, moving to the refrigerator, looking for a snack before dinner.  
''Shukaku's life isn't happy, Love. You knew that before reading the book.''  
I sighed.  
''I know. But it never crossed my mind that his wife and child died in front of him.''  
Gaara froze, groaning and covering his eyes. It was only a moment later when his hands lowered revealing the gold eyes that I was becoming used to.  
''That's why I told you to finish reading. Though you were raised by powerful ninja's, they did their best to hide you from the harshness of life.''  
I nodded, already aware of this fact. I leaned forward, trying to catch Shukaku's quiet words.  
''I haven't felt the pain of losing someone I care about since that day. And I never want to feel that way again. I've tried to warn the boy away from loving you, but obviously that didn't work. So I've been trying to caution him against taking the Councils threats lightly. He's listening to that at least.''  
I shot him a glare.  
''Are you the reason why he's been so stressed lately?''  
Shukaku shrugged and I snarled at him, causing him to chuckle.  
''It's not as bad as your thinking. The boy has had a lot on his mind. And not all of it was caused by me.''  
I frowned, leaning forward as he continued.  
''His council has been a form of stress for a while. Ever since he came back form the Akatsuki. They don't want him as Kazekage. He's not a puppet that they can control and it makes them angry. I keep waiting for them to mess up so badly that the boy slips and I'm allowed to take over and kill them all. It would be nice to be covered in blood again.''  
I wrinkled my nose, causing him to grin.  
''You should try it some time. It's a good feeling. Having that kind of power.''  
I shook my head.  
''I don't think so. That's gross sounding.''  
He shook his head, smiling slightly.  
''You are human. Of course you would think that way.''  
I bit my lip.  
''Did your Alera like to kill people?''  
All trace of amusement left Shukaku's face, his eyes narrowing and a growl ripping from his throat.  
''We aren't going to talk about that.''  
I frowned.  
''Why not? I know that you're still not over what happened, I don't think that there IS a way to get over something like that. But it would be good for you to talk about her I think.''  
Shukaku growled lowly and I gritted my teeth, refusing to cower from him.  
''No. I don't want to talk about her. You have no idea what it's like to watch the only person that you ever cared about bleed to death in your arms. Knowing that there is nothing that you can do to save them.  
If I had never left, Syre would have never gotten to her. He wouldn't have dared.''  
I bit my lip.  
''You blame yourself, don't you? About being gone when she was killed? It wasn't your fault, you know? You did nothing but try to protect what was yours.''  
Shukaku frowned.  
''I did a great job of that didn't I? What I cared for the most in life was still destroyed. All because I wasn't around.''  
I sighed.  
''Shukaku, you did nothing wrong. Stop blaming yourself. At least for that. You've killed plenty of other people to blame yourself for. Maybe you should feel bad about that instead.''  
He snorted, shaking his head.  
''They were just insignificant humans. There's still plenty of them on this planet.''  
I rolled my eyes and huffed.  
''I should have known that there was no getting through to you.''  
He shrugged.  
''No. You are just another human. Though one that my vessel has become extremely attached to.''  
I grinned, crossing my arms.  
''Whatever. You know that you like me.''  
Shukaku frowned for a moment before shrugging.  
''I tolerate you. As much as I can with you being a human.''  
I laughed, causing Shukaku to smile.  
''I need to give the boy his body back. He wants to spend time with you.''  
I nodded and watched as his eyes closed for a moment before shooting open, revealing hazy aqua eyes.  
Gaara took a stumbling step, falling to rest against me. I wrapped my arms around him quickly, holding him up as he caught his breath.  
''I hate it when Shukaku takes over like that. It always makes me dizzy...and I'm STILL hungry!''  
I laughed and laid a kiss to his forehead.  
''Why don't I just go ahead and make an early dinner?''  
Gaara sighed before nodding.  
''Yeah. Can we have pancakes?''  
I rolled my eyes but nodded. I hadn't made pancakes in over three weeks and he was having withdrawls.  
''Yeah, hon. I'll make you pancakes. But you have to let go of me first.''  
Gaara shook his head, tightening his arms.  
''No. I want to hold you for a minute.''  
He looked up at me, his eyes apologetic.  
''So I guess that you've noticed that I've been worrying, huh? I'm sorry about that. I did try to keep it to myself.''  
I frowned.  
''But why would you? I mean, I know that I can't help with the political stuff, but it should make you feel better to talk about it.''  
He shrugged.  
''I just didn't want to stress you out. You've been planning the wedding and I know how tired you've been because of that. I didn't want you to have to worry about my problems as well.''  
I rolled my eyes.  
''I would have LIKED to have had something to talk about besides that wedding, Gaara. Your sister has been driving me nuts with all of that.''  
Gaara smiled.  
''Speaking of my sister, where is she? I was planning on having to fight her for your attention again.''  
I laughed and shook my head.  
''She realized how irritated I was today and gave me the day off, telling me to rest.''  
Gaara sighed, his hands beginning to run across my back.  
''I'm guessing that she took Butterball with her?''  
I nodded, looking down at him.  
''Yeah. You sound a bit disappointed?''  
He nodded, moving back and lifting me from the counter.  
''I am, I guess. It seems like Temari has become his owner now. I hardly see the panda anymore.''  
He gave me a curious look and I looked at him.  
''What?''  
He smirked.  
''I wonder what she will do when we have a baby.''  
I shot him a glare.  
''I don't know. But that is NOT happening for a while.''  
He grinned, moving to sit at the bar.  
''We'll see, Love.''  
I huffed, looking at him over my shoulder as I pulled ingredients from the cabinets.  
''No. I refuse!''  
He shrugged, letting the room fall into silence, excluding the sounds of rattling cookware.

**Thanks for reading. **

**:) I don't to own Naruto or it's characters.**


	72. Chapter 72

I was trying on my wedding dress, trying to hold still as Dori and another shop girl stuck pins into the fabric, altering it slightly.  
I was alone with them, Temari having been drawn away by Krissy with promises of new fabric and designs. The two girls working on my dress were chattering endlessly about how much Gaara had changed and about how lucky I was  
I sighed slightly, wincing as the small movement caused me to be stabbed by five sharp needles.  
The two girls didn't notice my flinch and continued to stick more pins into the dress, their chattering increasing in volume as they switched the conversation to their boyfriends.  
I turned pleading eyes towards Butterball, who was gazing at me lazily from a plush chair.  
He wagged his tail slightly when he noticed that he had gained my attention. I smiled lightly, before wincing again as I was stabbed with another needle. By the time I returned home I would be a walking pin cushion.  
I sighed, causing Dori to look up at me.  
''Are you alright, Ria?''  
I tried to smile and nodded.  
''I'm fine. It'll be nice when this is finished though.''  
She nodded.  
''A few more pins and we can get you out of the dress and into your regular clothes.''  
I nodded, breathing a sigh of relief and trying to hold back the sudden urge to fidget.  
A minute or so later, the two girls carefully helped me out of the pin encrusted dress.  
I sighed happily when the dress was completely off, pulling on my jeans and shirt, ignoring the slight sting of where the pins had stuck me, leaving behind small wounds.  
I watched as Dori and the other shop girl placed my dress on a mannequin, being careful to not dislodge any of the pins and ruin their hard work.  
Butterball jumped off of his chair when he noticed that I had moved from the small platform that I had been standing on and came towards me, looking up at me with large eyes.  
I laughed lightly and bent to pick him up, smiling as he laid his head on my shoulder, instantly relaxing.  
I slipped on my shoes, wondering if I should interrupt Temari. I shrugged and turned towards Dori, who was fiddling with the hemline, trying to get it to lay right.  
''Hey Dori?''  
She looked over her shoulder at me curiously.  
''Yeah? Did you need something?''  
I nodded.  
''Will you tell Temari that I went home? I don't want to disturb her while she's talking fashion.''  
Dori laughed, nodding quickly.  
''Yeah. I don't blame you. She and Krissy are pretty crazy when it comes to their clothes. Don't worry, I'll deliever your message when she comes out.''  
I smiled.  
''Thanks. I'll see you in about a week?''  
She nodded, turning back to my dress and I took that as a sign that she was finished talking to me. I quickly made my way from the shop and towards the house. The dress fitting had taken longer then I had expected and Gaara would be home before I even started on dinner if I didn't hurry.  
As I walked, holding onto the now sleeping panda, I thought about all of the plans that we had made for the wedding.  
We had all of the flowers ordered, the greenhouse workers more than happy to supply them. Temari had helped find a location, an oasis just a bit outside of Suna and sent a letter to Tsunada, asking her to proceeded over the wedding. She hadn't replied yet, though Temari seemed confident that she would accept.  
Men had been hired to take chairs and tables to the oasis and Krissy had made covers to go over those tables and chairs.  
Two types of entree's had been decided on: chicken or pasta with a salad...and pancakes for Gaara.  
The wedding cake I had picked out alone, trying to incorperate a bit of Gaara into the wedding, since everything else that had been ordered was a little too feminine or frilly. The cake was made out of cookie dough, the icing a whipped topping of black and red.  
The figures that would be standing on top of the cake, Temari had customed made, but wouldn't tell me anything else about it, wanting to leave some surprises.  
The bridesmaid dresses, excluding Temari's, had been put on hold for when Misa and Mona came to Suna in the next few months. Kankuro had refused to wear a complete tux and I had agreed with him, much to his sister's disapproval. Instead, he would be wearing a crimson dress shirt, black slacks, and a silver tie. Naruto and Lee would be wearing the same outfit, but with silver shirts and red ties.  
Gaara's outfit was another surprise, though he and Temari had gone into this one together, simply not telling me. I think that he was a bit upset that he couldn't see my dress until the ceremony, and was taking his revenge by not even telling me what he was wearing.  
I smiled as I walked into the house, hearing Kankuro stomping around in his room.  
I rolled my eyes and placed Butterball on the floor before making my way to the kitchen to make dinner.  
I wasn't in the kitchen for longer than ten minutes when I felt a familiar presence come up behind me, a pair of arms wrapping around me.  
I smiled and turned my head to look at Gaara, who had placed his chin on my shoulder.  
''Hi there, hon.''  
His lips twitched.  
''Hi, Love. Did you have a nice time with Temari today?''  
I shrugged the shoulder that his chin wasn't resting on.  
''I guess. They altered my dress so that it fits better, though it's mostly done. I'll have to go back next week to try on the finished product and then again when the girls get here. But other that, I think that everything is taken care of. At least on my end. What about you?''  
I felt him shrug, reaching above me to grab the herbs that I used to flavor the meat.  
''It's fine, I guess. It's taking longer than I think it should, but Temari says that everything is on scheduale.''  
I nodded.  
''And you're going to make me wait until the wedding to tell me what your wearing?''  
He nodded, turning his head so I could feel his smirk against my skin, his teeth scrapping gently as his spoke.  
''Yeah. Unless you would like to show me what YOU'RE wearing?''  
I shook my head, smiling slightly.  
''No sir. It's bad luck. I don't want to start our marriage off that way.''  
He huffed, sinking his teeth into me softly and making me jump. Ever since that day in the library when he had first bitten me he had made a habit of sinking his teeth into any skin that was close to him when I said something he disagreed with. My neck taking the most abuse. Though he was careful to not break the skin.  
''I don't believe in luck. But if it will make you feel easier, then I won't push you into showing me your dress. But you can't see my outfit either.''  
I rolled my eyes, but nodded, cutting into the meat to make sure that it was done. Before I had even knew it, I had apparently decided on making hamburgers.  
''Fine. Do you want cheese on your hamburger?''  
He shook his head, nuzzling into my neck.  
''Mmm. I'd rather just have you?''  
I sighed, rolling my eyes. Another thing that was becoming a constant was Gaara's increasing confidence with the physical part of our relationship and his perverted phrases. Shukaku was making it his job to make sure Gaara had a lifetime worth of information before we were married. I wasn't to happy that the innocent part of Gaara that I had come to expect and had liked so much was being slowly transformed into a typical guys reaction.  
I sighed again, banishing the thoughts from my mind. I loved Gaara no matter how innocent he was. That would have disappeared after our wedding anyways. Might as well get used to it now.  
I tried to pull out of his arms, only to have him growl and tighten his grip.  
''Gaara, I have to finish dinner! Your siblings will be here wanting to know what the hold up is.''  
He shook his head, dragging his nose across my neck to my collarbone.  
''I don't care. You cooked the meat, I think that they can handle adding vegetables and bread. I haven't seen you all day, or most of yesterday for that matter. Temari has been taking up all of your time.''  
I huffed, turning in his arms and pushing him to sit on a chair. I plopped myself down onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck, while his own arms returned to their previous position around my waist.  
''Fine. Is there something you wanted to talk about, or did you just want my attention?''  
He shrugged, pulling me closer and lifting a hand to pull out my ponytail so he could run his fingers through my hair.  
''A little of both, I think. I missed you today. Usually when you get finished running around the village with Temari, you come by to see me and you didn't do that today. I guess I've gotten used to having you to talk to in the middle of the day. That way we can get any of the problems I had during the day talked about and we can just focus on lighter things when I come home at night.''  
I sighed and rested my forehead against his shoulder.  
''I'm sorry. I actually didn't have time to come see you today. I had only been home maybe fifteen minutes when you got here. I'll try to get away sooner next time, okay?''  
He nodded, resting his cheek against my hair.  
''Alright. I don't mean to make you feel obligated to come see me...''  
I shot him a glare.  
''Shut-up Gaara. You know I like to see you. Even if I have to see the windbags.''  
He nodded, pushing my head back to lean against his shoulder.  
''Alright, Love.''  
I sighed, inhaling slightly. He always smelt like papers and ink when he came home from the office.  
I closed my eyes, enjoying the strange silence that surrounded us when a sudden yell caused me to jump slightly, a frown coming to my face.  
''Hey! Couldn't you let Ria finish dinner before capturing her attention?''  
I glanced up, seeing Gaara shoot a glare at his older brother, his voice a rough growl when he answered.  
''She finished cooking meat for hamburgers. It's on the stove. Hopefully a graduated sand ninja is able to put the rest of the ingredients together to make a meal. Don't you think?''  
Kankuro sighed before I heard him move further into the kitchen. He scrounged around the fridge before grumbling again.  
I felt Gaara tense under me, his arms tightening painfully.  
''What was that?''  
There was a hesitant pause before Kankuro sighed, defeatedly.  
''Nothing, Gaara. I'll eat my dinner in the living room.''  
Gaara nodded and I heard the hurried footsteps as his brother left the room.  
I looked up at Gaara, seeing his glare directed towards the living room.  
''What's wrong, honey?''  
He sighed, his shoulders relaxing and he turned his attention back to me.  
''Nothing, Love. I think that I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping well.''  
I nodded, pulling myself from his lap, causing him to pout up at me.  
''Well, let's eat something and then we'll go upstairs. Okay? You can take your shower and go to bed. That way you can MAYBE get some sleep. Sound good?''  
His gave me a half smile, nodding slightly.  
''Yeah. Though I'm not really hungry. I think that I'll just go upstairs if that alright with you.''  
I frowned.  
''You're not hungry? Did you eat a late lunch?''  
He shook his head.  
''No. I...I haven't eaten today.''  
My eyes widened and on a hunch a laid a hand to his forehead. It was hotter than usual.  
''Gaara...Do you feel okay? I think that you might have a fever.''  
He shrugged.  
''My head has been pounding all day. And my stomach has been queasy...''  
I sighed, kissing his forehead gently.  
''Go upstairs, Gaara. Take your shower, make it as cool as you can handle, then go lay down. I'll be up in a few minutes, okay?''  
He nodded, standing shakily to his feet and I noticed that he wobbled slightly as he made his way up the stairs.  
I watched him go, biting my lip harshly before going to ask Kankuro if there was any cold medicine in the house.

**thank you for reading. I'm sorry for any** **mistakes that I made.**

**Review if you want. :)**

**I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters.**


	73. Chapter 73

I found Kanakuro spread out on the couch, grumbling slightly when he wasn't tearing chunks out of the half masacred hamburger in his hands.  
He looked up at me when I entered, his eyes instantly swerving to look behind me.  
I sighed.  
''Gaara went to his room, Kankuro.''  
He relaxed and smiled slightly.  
''Sent him to bed, did you? He was a little crankier then normal, huh?''  
I shook my head.  
''He's sick. He's allowed to be snippy when he doesn't feel well. But I came to ask if you had any medicine?''  
He frowned, taking a thoughtful bite out of his burger.  
''If we do, it will be in the cabinet above the sink in the kitchen. I don't know though. Temari normally takes care of that and Gaara is hardly ever sick.''  
I nodded and pointed to where he had placed his plate on the coffee table.  
''Make sure you put your plate in the sink. I'm not going to come hunting for it.''  
He smiled and waved, flopping down on the couch.  
''Alright. I'll do that. Tell me when Gaara is feeling better so I know when I can come around him without worrying about getting murdered.''  
I nodded and left the living room to look for some medicine.  
When I opened the cabinet I found a large amount of bottles and boxes. I bit my lip, picking up a bottle that looked familiar and read the information on the back.  
'Use for congestion, coughing and sore throat.'  
Nope. I replaced the bottle grabbing another one and sighed. Still not what I was looking for.  
I was reading the label on my fifth bottle when I heard a worried voice behind me.  
''Ria? Is something wrong?''  
I looked over my shoulder, finding Temari, her arms full of shopping bags. She must have went shopping after leaving Krissy's shop.  
''Yeah. Gaara is sick and I can't figure out which medicine to give him.''  
She frowned and dropped her bags on the table before walking towards me.  
''What's wrong with him?''  
I shrugged.  
''He said that his head has been foggy and his stomach is queasy. And he has a fever.''  
She nodded, reaching past me for a brown bottle.  
''Give him this. It sounds like he's getting the stomach bug that's been going around. From what I heard today, a bunch of the villagers have come down with the same thing. It's pretty bad if not caught early. Though it typically only last two or three days.''  
I frowned and took the bottle and medicine cup that she held towards me.  
''Okay. I better go give this to Gaara then. He needs to get better. He's pretty irritable when he's not feeling well.''  
Temari nodded, smiling without humor.  
''Yeah. I remember that from when we were kids. He didn't like taking his medicine either, so if you need my help, just yell okay? I'll help you hold him down.''  
I laughed and nodded.  
''Okay. I better get upstairs, he'll be out of the shower soon.''  
She nodded, retuning to her pile of bags.  
''Alright. I'm going to eat and then I'll take care of cleaning up the kitchen.''  
I smiled, already inching my way towards the stairs.  
''Thank you. I probably wouldn't have time to do that tonight.''  
She nodded, waving a hand at me.  
''I figured. Now go on. I can tell that you're having trouble having a conversation with me when Gaara is upstairs.''  
I nodded and rushed from the room, though I tried to be quiet as I crept into the bedroom.  
Gaara was lying on the bed on his stomach, his breathing ragid, the covers pulled up to his ears. As I walked closer I saw that he was shaking underneath the blankets and frowned as I heard his harsh breathing.  
I reached a hand out and ran my fingers through his hair.  
''Gaara?''  
He groaned and I saw the struggle he was having to open his eyes.  
When he finally forced his eyelids to cooperate I noticed that his eyes were glassy.  
''Hey, hon. How are you feeling?''  
I saw his shoulders shrug under the covers.  
''I can't breathe. And the room is spinning.''  
I sighed and reached towards him, pulling him into a sitting position and causing him to grasp his head.  
''I'm sorry, Gaara. But I need you to take this medicine and you can't do that lying down.''  
He shook his head.  
''No. I don't want that, it's nasty.''  
I sighed, pouring the thick liquid into the cup, measuring it carefully.  
''I don't care. You have to take this or whatever it is you have is going to get worse. Now drink this.''  
I held out the medicine and he groaned, turning his face away. I sighed and rolled my eyes.  
''If you don't drink this, then I'm going to pin you to the bed and pour it down your throat.''  
Gaara's eyes widened and he turned to look at me, his bottom lip between his teeth.  
''You wouldn't really do that would you?''  
I didn't hesitate before nodding.  
''Yes I will. I know that you don't feel good right now, but I also know that if you don't take this medicine that you won't get better as fast. Now are you going to take this, or am I going to have to sit on you?''  
He pouted for a bit, and I thought that I was going to have to follow through with my threat of pinning him. But after another moment he sighed and took the plastic cup from me, downing the dark liquid with a grimace.  
He swallowed harshly a few more times before turning a halfhearted glare towards me.  
''That was gross.''  
I smiled and laid a kiss to the top of his head.  
''I know. But it WILL help. Why don't you lay back down while I get ready for bed. Do you need anything right now?''  
He shook his head and lowered his body back to the mattress, pulling the covers over his head. I sighed and patted his cloth covered shoulder before grabbing my nightclothes and making my way towards the bathroom to change and brush my teeth.  
When I returned, I could hear Gaara shuffling around under the blankets.  
I sighed and walked over to him, sitting down beside him. He peeked out of the covers when he felt the mattress dip and tried to smile at me. His voice was hoarse when he spoke.  
''Hi, Love.''  
I sighed.  
''Do you feel any better?''  
He shook his head.  
''I still can't breath.''  
I frowned for a moment before gasping suddenly and jumping from the bed. Gaara watched me curiously as I went to my dresser and after a moment of riffling through one of the drawers, came out with a glass jar.  
I walked towards him, waving the jar slightly.  
''Dolly made this salve for me when I caught the flu about a year ago. It's really good for stuffy noses. Can you roll onto your back?''  
He nodded and rolled onto his back, looking up at me curiously as I unscrewed the jars lid.  
I sighed as the smell of lavender and eucolyptis hit me. Unlike most people I had always liked that smell.  
I crawled onto the bed and pulled the blankets down until they rested against his stomach. I winced as he began to shiver again and sighed, knowing that there was no help for that at the moment. I scooped out a generous amount of the salve and placed it on his chest, beginning to rub it across his chest, massaging lightly.  
Gaara sighed and his eyes fluttered close, his breathing beginning to come easier.  
''That's nice. Maybe I should be sick more often if it gets you to pay this much attention to me and touch me like this.''  
I rolled my eyes, smiling lightly.  
''You would have to take the medicine every two hours too.''  
He groaned and looked up at me with pleading eyes.  
''Couldn't we skip that?''  
I shook me head, letting my hands move to his shoulders, working out some of the knots that had formed there.  
Gaara sighed, his eyes closing again, though they shot open when I pulled away from him.  
''Why'd you stop?''  
I smirked.  
''Did you not want me too?''  
He pouted slightly and I laughed.  
''Alright. Turn back over onto your stomach.''  
He did so quickly and I giggled, before continuing to rub at the knotted muscles of Gaara's back. I frowned as I felt what a lifetime of stress had done and pressed a bit harder at a stubborn knot.  
Gaara's breathing soon evened out, but I made sure to finish the job I had started before moving from the bed to turn off the light.  
By the time I crawled under the covers beside him and pulled the blankets over us, he had began to shiver again. I sighed and after wrapping my arms around him, pulled him to me, trying to use my meager body heat to warm him.  
He sighed softly when he came to rest against me, his hands instantly moving to tangle in my hair. I smiled, noticing that his shivering stopped after another moment.  
I laid a kiss to his forehead, causing him to mumble lightly and he scooted closer to me.  
I sighed, knowing that I would need to wake him back up in a bit to give him some more medicine, but I hoped that he would begin to feel better after a good night of drug induced sleeping.  
I let my eyes drift closed, trying to ignore the abnormal heat that was radiating off of Gaara's body when I gasped softly. I had forgotten about Butterball! I had been so concerned about Gaara that I had left the poor panda downstairs.  
I pulled out of Gaara's arms, careful not to wake him, though he did groan and move towards where I had been laying.  
I tried to be quiet as I tiptoed from the room, slowly making my way towards the stairs, seeing the light still on in the living room. I heard soft voices as I got closer, frowning as I heard what was being said.  
''Do you think that this is a good idea, Temari? I mean, you've heard the rumors going around the village more than I have. The council isn't taking Gaara's refusal to step aside well and they see the upcoming wedding as a slap in the face. Do you think that they should wait a bit longer before doing something that jurastic?''  
I heard Temari sigh before she answered her brother.  
''Gaara has been through so much in his life, Kankuro. And he's given up so much to become Kazekage. Don't you think that he deserves to be happy? He loves Ria and who ever thought that something like that would happen? It's not like he had much of an example to know how to love when he was younger. We weren't much help in that realm even AFTER the chunin exams. We still held him at arms distance. I mean, have YOU ever told Gaara that you love him? 'Cause I know that I haven't. As far as I know Ria is the only one to actually tell him that. I won't do anything to stand in the way of his happiness.  
And if any of those old fools tries to get in the way of our baby brothers happiness then I am going to assasinate all of them without any worry of the consequences.''  
I heard Kankuro snort out a laugh, his voice less tense when he spoke again.  
''You're right. We haven't been really caring siblings until recently and Gaara deserves to be happy. We'll just need to keep our ears open to any talk of a coup.''  
I sighed softly and made my steps heavier, making it seem like I had just came downstairs. As I walked into the room, both siblings turned towards me, Temari's eyes instantly became worried.  
''Hey, Ria. How's your patient doing?''  
I shrugged, sighing in relief as I noticed that she had Butterball in her lap.  
''Fine, I guess. He's sleeping right now. I actually just came downstairs to make sure Butterball was okay. I was so worried about Gaara that I completely forgot about the poor thing.''  
Temari cooed softly, hugging the panda tightly.  
''Aw! Poor little panda bear. Don't worry, Auntie Temari will take care of you!''  
I rolled my eyes, seeing Kankuro do the same.  
''Alright. If you've got him then I better get back upstairs before Gaara wakes up and decides that he needs to come looking for me.''  
Temari nodded and I smiled at her, turning to go but stopped, my hand coming to rest on the door frame and I looked over my shoulder sending the sibling a small smile.  
''One more thing you two: If you plan something against the Council Members, I would be more then happy to help you.''  
I grinned at their startled faces, before walking out of the room completely, hearing Kankuro's loud laugh following me up the stairs.  
I eased the bedroom door open just enough to get inside, trying to allow the least amount of light into the room, before closing it softly behind me. I hurried to the bed, carefully crawling into the bed and again snuggling against Gaara, who had shifted at some point and was now facing away from me.  
He groaned when he felt me against his back and turned, scooting down the bed and nuzzling his face into my chest.  
''Where did you go? I missed you.''  
I sighed.  
''I'm sorry, I was hopping to get back before you woke up.''  
He sighed.  
''I always wake up if you move away from me.''  
I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck, running my hands through his hair.  
''Do you need any more medicine?''  
He groaned, shaking his head.  
''No. I don't want any more of that stuff. I just want to go back to sleep.''  
I nodded, laying a kiss to the top of his head.  
''Then go to sleep now, hon.''  
He moved closer, one of his hands clutching my hip. His voice was sleepy as he spoke.  
''Don't leave me again.''  
I nodded and tightened my arms. It was strange that he wanted to be coddled like this. Not to say that I didn't like it.  
I smiled and again closed my eyes, letting myself fall to sleep.

**Poor Gaara. **

**Thanks for reading. Review if you want. **

**I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters.**


	74. Chapter 74

I woke up to Gaara sniffling and coughing slightly. I opened my eyes, finding him looking miserable.  
I placed my hand to his forehead, gasping at how high his fever had gotten. I sat up and reached across him for the bottle of medicine, measuring out the liquid and handing it to him. He took it and downed it quickly, causing me to realize how awful he really felt.  
''Do you want me to get you anything?''  
He frowned.  
''Water?''  
His voice was just a raspy whisper and I quickly nodded before hurrying from the room. I stumbled down the stairs, ignoring the darkness that surrounded me. It had to be around 5:30, the sun close to rising.  
I found the kitchen, my hand fumbling on the wall for a light. I sighed when I finally found it and instantly went in search of the tallest glass that they owned.  
Gaara's body was trying to sweat out whatever sickness he had caught and I didn't want him to get dehydrated.  
I found a large glass and a lemonade pitcher, filling both with water and a few ice cubes before making my way back up the stairs.  
As soon as I pushed the door open, I heard the awful retching sounds coming from the bathroom and grimaced, placing both glass and pitcher on the bedside table.  
It became deathly quiet after only a moment more and I was debating on whether I should check on him when the bathroom door opened and Gaara stumbled out, his head lowered and his body swaying.  
I moved to grab his arm, leading him to the bed where he sat down bonelessly. He groaned and covered his face with his hands.  
I sighed and reached for the glass, gently tugging at his hand and curling it around the glass.  
''Here, honey. Drink this.''  
He pulled his other hand away from his face before taking a slow drink of the cool water. He sighed as he swallowed, his eyes closing briefly before he began to down the glass quickly, not stopping to take a breath until all of the liquid was gone.  
I took the now empty glass from his hand, noticing that it had began to shake slightly.  
''Do you want another glass?''  
He shook his head and I placed the glass on the table next to the pitcher. When I again stood in front of him, he tangled his hands in my night pants and rested his face against my stomach.  
I sighed and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.  
''You need to lay back down now, if you don't feel like you're going to throw up.''  
He shook his head.  
''I have to go to work.''  
My eyes widened and I pushed him away to see if he was joking.  
His eyes were hazy, but I couldn't find any trace of humor in them. I shook my head, making sure that he was looking at me when I spoke.  
''I don't think so, Gaara. You're too sick to go anywhere. You can hardly even make it the few feet to the bathroom without collapsing, much less to the Tower. The Windbags can just deal with not having you for a few days.''  
He shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but I covered his mouth with my hand.  
''No. I'm not budging on this. You can't go. If I have to, then I will go tell them that you are sick, but I'm not letting you out of this house until you are better. Now crawl back in bed!''  
I saw him trying to think of an argument but he finally sighed and nodded, sliding onto the mattress and pulling the covers over him, his body shaking again.  
I took a step away from the bed when a clammy hand shot out from the nest of blankets and wrapped around my wrist.  
''Don't leave.''  
I sighed and shuffled towards him, bending to kiss his forehead.  
''I'll be right back. I just have to use the bathroom, okay?''  
He nodded and I knew that he wouldn't close his eyes until I was back in the bed.  
I quickly finished what needed to be done in the bathroom, ignoring my rumpled reflection in the large mirrors and made my way back to Gaara. I climbed back into the bed, having the feverish Kazekage snuggle into my chest, his voice raspy as he mumbled.  
''Why did I have to get sick? I have too much stuff to do to be sick. So much paperwork...''  
I rolled my eyes and ran my hand across his back, frowning as I felt how hot his skin was.  
''I don't know Gaara. But Temari did say that this bug was going around. With how many people come into your office it's not really surprising that you would have caught some sort of cold. I'm guessing by the way that you're acting that you're not sick all that often?''  
He shook his head.  
''No. Being a Jinchuriki normally helps my amune system to be really high. This is the first time I've been sick in over six years.''  
I frowned, noticing that he had began to shake again. He tried to push himself closer and whimpered when he couldn't. I sighed and hitched a leg around his hip.  
He sighed softly, his eyelids fluttering closed.  
''Thank you, Love. I shouldn't feel this cold.''  
I shrugged and bit my lip slightly, an idea worming it's way into my head and refusing to be brushed off. I used my inside fire to heat up the skin of my body trying to keep it from becoming a full fledged flame. I had never tried this before to keep someone warm, but it seemed to work alright since Gaara's shaking subsided after a few seconds.  
He sighed softly, nuzzling his nose against the bared skin of my collarbone.  
''You're warm.''  
I nodded, gasping softly as his hands found their way under my shirt and coming to rest against my back. I bit my lip for a moment before sighing, hearing his breathing even out as much as possible with his stuffy nose.  
I rubbed his back gently, feeling the warmth that had been heating my skin slowly fade, returning to my normal body heat. Gaara grumbled slightly, his fingers digging into my bare back before he again relaxed. The heat under the covers was enough that he wasn't going to be cold for a while.  
I sighed, feeling strangely tired. I supposed that keeping such a tight leash on an element that was normally considered unmanagable had drained me. Normally I just let the fire do what it wanted and burn as hot as was possible when I released it. But I couldn't do that when I was simply trying to warm my skin.  
I shook my head, smiling as Gaara grumbled at the slight movement before he settled back into sleep.  
I yawned lightly, noticing that the sun was beginning to light the room. I would need to pull the thick curtains closed if Gaara was having trouble with his head like I thought he might. But I suppose that I would deal with that when he woke back up.  
I felt my eyes becoming heavy and sighed, again following him back into sleep.

I woke up to a knock on the door and looked up to see Temari peeking her head into the room. She smiled slightly when she saw me.  
She came into the room, biting her lip lightly.  
''Where's Gaara?''  
I smirked and lifted the covers slightly, revealing the red head that had burrowed under the blankets, his face pressed against my upper stomach.  
She giggled lightly and shook her head.  
''How's he feeling?'  
I shrugged.  
''Better I think. His nose is still stuffed up, and he keeps complaining about his head hurting, but he hasn't thrown up in a while.''  
She nodded, looking behind her at the closed door of his room.  
''Matsuri came by a few minutes ago. Apparently she went to the Tower looking for Gaara and got worried about him not being there. She came here after that, and I thought that she was going to burst into his bedroom when I told her that he was sick.''  
I rolled my eyes.  
''I'm sure that would have gone over well since I'm the only one visible in the bed at the moment.''  
I glanced down at the lumpy blankets that didn't really look like another human body and Temari laughed.  
''Yeah. She would have thought that you had killed him.''  
I laughed, shaking my head.  
''He might actually be wishing for someone to put him out of his misery by now. He hasn't had a very good night.''  
Temari nodded, her eyes softening.  
''I wouldn't imagine. Gaara hardly ever gets sick but when he does it's extremely serious.''  
I nodded, ignoring how the body next to me had suddenly stiffened, the breathing betraying that he was awake.  
''Yeah. I could tell that. How long does this bug normally last?''  
She shrugged.  
''It depends. For some it was only 24 hours, but then I heard about some that it lasted a full week.''  
Gaara tensed and I rubbed his back gently.  
''Well, hopefully Gaara will only have the 24 hour bug.''  
Temari nodded, smiling softly.  
''Hopefully. I'll leave you alone, but I wanted to tell you that I made breakfast if you're hungry. I know Gaara won't want to eat but you don't need to starve yourself. Your wedding dress won't fit.''  
I laughed lightly, feeling Gaara smirk against my skin where my nightshirt had ridden up.  
''I'll try. But I'm not hungry right now. Did you get Matsuri to leave?''  
She shook her head.  
''Not yet. She demanded that I come to check on Gaara first.''  
I heard a sigh and Gaara turned towards the door, pulling the covers down so Temari could see his face.  
She seemed startled to see him awake but smiled at him.  
''Hey, Gaara. How are you feeling?''  
He sniffled and her smile softened.  
''That bad, huh?''  
He nodded and I winced when he spoke, his voice painfully hoarse.  
''Yeah. Tell Matsuri to go home. I don't want to deal with her today.''  
I rolled my eyes and Temari smiled.  
''Alright. Try to let Ria up so she can eat, okay?''  
He nodded before turning back around and returning to his original spot.  
Temari grinned and shook her head.  
''I guess I'll go talk to Matsuri now. She'll be pacing a ditch in the floor if I don't hurry.''  
I laughed and nodded.  
''Yeah. I'll be down in a bit to eat.''  
She nodded and with one final smirk thrown over her shoulder, left the room, closing the door behind her softly.  
I heard Gaara sigh when he heard the door click shut.  
''It's really bright in here.''  
I nodded.  
''Do you want me to close the drapes?''  
He sighed, before nodding slowly. I scooted out of his arms going to close the heavy, tan drapes, blocking out the sunlight.  
I stood by the window, blinking hard and trying to get my eyes to adjust. I was about to make my way back to the bed when there was a hesitant knock on the door. I stumbled my way towards the noise, hearing Gaara grumble under the blankets.  
I finally made it to the door, only opening it enough to peek out and sighed when I saw who was on the other side.  
Matsuri stared at me with wide eyes beginning to wring her hands.  
''Hi, Ria. Um...Is Kazekage-sensei in there? I...I wanted to check on him.''  
I frowned, not quite sure how to handle this when I felt a pair of hands wrap around my hips tightly, and a rough voice spoke from the shadows behind me.  
''I'll be fine, Matsuri. Now leave. I don't need you here.''  
The girl flinched and bit her lip harshly.  
''Oh. Well...as long as you're alright. I guess I'll go home then?''  
She looked at me sadly and I shrugged, though it was Gaara that answered, his voice still managing to sound cruel with a hoarse voice.  
''I don't care where you go. Just leave me alone. I'm tired and I can't deal with you today. If you want to talk to me, then you can wait until I go back to the office.''  
She nodded, her lip trembling slightly and her voice shook as she spoke.  
''Oh. I'm sorry, Kazekage-sensei. I'll...I'll see you later I guess.''  
She turned towards the stairs and I sighed, while pushing Gaara back towards the direction of the bed.  
''Go lay down, hon. I'm going to go eat real quick.''  
He nodded and I felt him move away before I rushed out of the room, catching up to Matsuri on the stairs landing. I winced as I saw the tears falling from her eyes and touched her arm gently.  
She turned towards me quickly, rubbing at her face, trying to erase the signs of crying.  
I sighed.  
''Look, Matsuri. I'm sorry. Gaara is NOT in a good mood right now. I mean he's REALLY sick, and a bit cranky. I don't think that he meant what he said a minute ago. At least HOW he said it.''  
She shook her head, trying to smile.  
''No, I understand, I shouldn't have come over here. Temari warned me downstairs how irritable he was, but I didn't listen. He's never talked to me that way before, so I didn't expect it. I guess I should have listened, huh?''  
I shrugged and began to lead her down the stairs.  
''You were worried. That's understandable with how much you care for Gaara. And if he wasn't feeling as terrible as he is, I'm sure that he wouldn't have treated you that way.''  
She smiled slightly and followed me into the kitchen. I frowned as I looked at what Temari had cooked, trying to supress a shudder. The scrambled eggs were runny, the toast burnt and the bacon was still bleeding.  
I shook my head and reached for the cereal. It would be quicker to eat anyways.  
I saw Matsuri's look of disgust as she glanced at the masacured food and I laughed, starting in on my own breakfast.  
''Temari is a wonderful girl, but she really can't cook.''  
Matsuri nodded.  
''I can tell. How do Kankuro and Kazekage-sensei eat this stuff?''  
I shook my head.  
''They don't. I normally cook, and believe it or not, Gaara CAN cook for himself. Not well, but it's edible.''  
She smiled softly, before sighing.  
''I guess that I'll go home. I...I have a date later.''  
I grinned at her.  
''Really?! That's great! Where'd you meet him?''  
She bit her lip, her cheeks blushing slightly.  
''Um...his family owns the new bookstore that just opened. They recently moved to Suna from a mountain village. His name's Yue. He's really nice.''  
I smiled.  
''That's wonderful, Matsuri. I hope that everything goes well with him.''  
She smiled shyly and nodded.  
''Me too. This is the first time that I've gone on a date with anyone.''  
She bit her lip.  
''What do you think I should wear?''  
I laughed, shaking my head slightly. No matter were I went, girls were all the same.  
''Well, it depends on where you're going. I mean if he's taking you to a fancy resturant then you want to wear a nice dress, but if it's just casual, then just a pretty dress, or cute jeans and a nice top?''  
She nodded and I could tell that her mind was working in double time.  
''Okay. I'll see what I have. Thank you. I should probably go so you can take care of Kazekage-sensei. He didn't seem like he wanted you out of his sight.''  
I nodded sighing lightly and standing.  
''Yeah. I'll talk to you later. Tell me how your date goes, okay?''  
She nodded quickly and I trusted her to be able to let herself out of the house while I made my way back to Gaara. Hopefully he was asleep.

**Thanks for reading. **

**Ignore any mistakes that I've made and review if you like.**

**I don't own NARUTO or it's characters.**

**:)**


	75. Chapter 75

When I returned to the room, I heard the labored breathing from the bed and sighed.  
''Close your eyes Gaara. I'm going to turn the light on for a minute.''  
I heard a groan and I flipped the light on, blinking at the brightness that lit the room.  
I walked over to the bedside table, picking up Gaara's medicine and pouring him another cup full. He watched me with a snarl and shook his head as I tried to hand it to him.  
''No. No more medicine.''  
I sighed.  
''Gaara...''  
He cut me off by snarling slightly and shook his head.  
''No, Ria! I won't take any more of that.''  
I frowned, and walked closer to the bed.  
''C'mon Gaara. Please? I know it's gross, but you need to get better!''  
He shook his head, pulling the covers over his head.  
''No. Can't you just rub my back chest with that stuff again?''  
I sighed.  
''I will, if you take this. Please? Just a little bit?''  
Gaara pulled the covers down a bit, revealing fevered eyes.  
''I don't want it.''  
I frowned and glanced at the dark liquid that filled the tiny cup. Gaara pulled the covers back over his head and I sighed an idea coming to my mind. Though I wasn't to happy about what I was about to do, it was the only way I could think of to get him to take his medicine.  
I crawled onto the bed, straddling his legs and tipped back the medicine, not swallowing. Gaara lowered his blankets again, his mouth open slightly to breath, and I quickly latched my mouth onto his, pushing the medicine from my mouth into his.  
He made a strangled noise, his hand coming up to my shoulder, weakly trying to push me away. Once I knew that he had swallowed the medicine, I pulled back, wiping away the stream of liquid that had escaped from his mouth.  
I sighed, wincing at the hurt look he was giving me and he flinched away from my hand as I tried to push his damp hair from his forehead.  
He turned his face away from me, but not before I saw the betrayed look and how his eyes watered slightly. I felt his emotions and bit my lip against the tears that welled in my own eyes.  
I leaned over him and nuzzled my nose against his neck, trying to ignore the tremulous feelings that washed over me.  
''I'm sorry, Gaara. But you won't get better if you don't take your medicine. Don't be upset.''  
He still wouldn't look at me and I bit my lip, wondering if I should stay where I was or leave him alone.  
I waited for what seemed like hours, but in reality couldn't have been more then ten minutes when his arms wormed their way out of the covers and wrapped around me, turning his head to bury his face in my hair.  
''I'm not mad. Not really. I know that you had the best of intentions. But, Ria, I'm sick and my emotions are not exactly stable at the moment. Don't try to trick me into taking that medicine again.''  
I nodded, still not regretting my decision completely.  
''Alright. Do you want me to rub that save onto your chest now?''  
He hesitated for a moment before nodded and removing his arms so I could sit up. I reached towards the table and grabbed the blue jar. I scooped out a large amount and lathered it onto his chest, feeling him relax under me. One of his hands moved to rest against my thigh, rubbing his thumb against the soft fabric of my night pants as his eyes closed.  
''Thank you, for taking care of me I mean. I don't know what I would do if you weren't here.''  
I shrugged before realizing that he couldn't see me since his eyes were closed.  
''You don't have to thank me Gaara. Except for trying to get you to take medicine, I like taking care of you. I don't get to do that a whole lot, you know? And even if I wasn't here, I'm sure that Temari would be playing the nurse role and making sure that you stay in bed.''  
Gaara shook his head, squinting his eyes open to look at me.  
''I wouldn't listen. The last time I was sick, she tried to to make me stay in bed, but I didn't listen. I ended up getting worse, almost to the point where I had to go to the hospital. Though at that point I don't think that the doctors would have done anything to help me. It was during the time when the villagers still thought that I was going to go crazy and kill everyone.  
Anyways, I collapsed in the kitchen and Kankuro had to lug me to my room. I think that I really worried my siblings.''  
I nodded, rubbing my hands over his arms.  
''I imagine that you did. If you weren't so stubborn about staying in bed, then you wouldn't stress them out so much.''  
He shrugged and grabbed my hands, tugging me down to lay on top of him, his arms wrapping around me and one of his hands, pressing my face into his neck.  
''I know. I just hate feeling like this. Though, you have to admit that I've been pretty good today.''  
I hummed, nodding slightly.  
''Yeah. You haven't given me half as much trouble as I was expecting.''  
He sighed and laid a kiss to my temple, before jerking back suddenly.  
I looked up at him startled, seeing his wide eyes.  
''Gaara? Is something wrong?''  
He nodded.  
''I just realized that I am contagious and that I have been exposing you to this sickness. You should probably not even be in the same room with me, much less cuddled up to me and kissing me.''  
I rolled my eyes and smiled.  
''Oh well. Too late now, Hon. I'm already exposed and if I'm going to get sick, then I'm going to get sick. Now I'm going to turn the light off so you can sleep some more. Alright?''  
He nodded, frowning slightly.  
''Are...Are you still going to lay with me then? Since you're already 'exposed' to this cold?''  
I nodded, sitting up and moving off of him.  
''Yeah. I have no intention of leaving you on your own for long, if I can help it. Knowing you, if I left you alone, you would try to sneak out of the house and to your office. And I can't have you doing that until your well.''  
He nodded, beginning to cough harshly. I grimaced at hearing the gunk in his lungs. Maybe I should find Temari and have her go ask the doctor if there was a type of medicine that he was recommending to those that had this bug.  
I was apparently gone to long for Gaara's liking, because I heard him moving and he groaned.  
''Come back to bed, Love.''  
I laughed and made my way over to my side of the bed, crawling under the covers and being enveloped in warm arms.  
''You know, it's normally me that wants you to come to bed. Apparently our roles have been switched for a bit.''  
He nodded and curled into me, nuzzling his head into my chest, hooking a leg over mine.  
''I should not be this tired. I've slept more then I have in weeks and yet I still feel exhausted.''  
I nodded, bringing a hand up to run through his hair.  
''You're sick. Your body is trying to fight off whatever germs have entered your body and you need sleep for that. Is Shukaku helping at all?''  
He shrugged.  
''Not really. Unlike when I was younger, he doesn't have a whole lot of extra strength to fend off sickness. I mean, if it was life threatening then I know that he would try to get rid of it, but with just some cold, I think that he prefers to just let my bodies natural defenses take over.''  
I nodded.  
''Alright. I guess that that's understandable. It just sucks that he can do something about it and instead makes you suffer. Though I do like keeping you away from work, since I think that you need a break, I just wish that it wasn't because you were sick.''  
He hummed lightly, his voice tired as he spoke.  
''Yeah. Maybe I need to start taking at least one day off a week.''  
I nodded fully in agreement with that idea.  
Gaara yawned, pulling himself closer to me and sighing.  
''I'm falling asleep, Love. Will you stay in bed with me while I sleep? I'm afraid that I won't wake up this time if you move.''  
I nodded, laying a kiss to his head.  
''Yeah, Hon. I won't leave.''  
He nodded and after a moment I felt his body relax as he fell asleep.

**I don't own Naruto or it's characters.**

**Thanks for reading! **

**Please ignore any mistakes that I've made.**


	76. Chapter 76

Gaara had been sick for three days and I could tell that he was becoming restless.  
He was irritable to almost anything and I tried not to get upset, knowing that he was simply tired of being cooped up in the house.  
At the moment he was glaring at the ceiling as I sat next to him, reading one of my favorite books. He sighed and rolled towards me, wrapping his arms around my hips.  
''I'm going back to work tomorrow.''  
I looked down at him, frowning slightly.  
''You still have a high fever Gaara and you can't stay awake for more than two hours without falling asleep. And you're cranky. If you go to work, you might kill one of your ninjas or a Council Member. You need to stay home until your better.''  
His eyes narrowed and I went back to my book after a moment of silence.  
I hadn't read more then two paragraphs when the book was plucked from my hands and thrown to the foot of the bed.  
I frowned and turned to find Gaara sitting up and glaring at my poor book, his arms crossed over his chest, his mouth set in a pout.  
I rolled my eyes and leaned forwards, reaching towards my book only to have his arms wrap around me and pull me back to lay on the bed, his body moving to lay on top of me, pinning me to the bed.  
I sighed.  
''Gaara. What are you doing?''  
He frowned.  
''You weren't paying attention to me. If you're going to keep me under house arrest then you can at least pay attention to me when I'm awake.''  
I rolled my eyes. He really needed to get better.  
''You could have just asked. You didn't have to throw my book across the room, it's old.''  
He pouted and nuzzled his head into my neck.  
''But, I'm so bored! There's nothing to do!''  
I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, running my hands across his back.  
''Well, what would you like to do then? You can't even go downstairs without having to sit on the couch once you get there.''  
He shrugged.  
''I don't know.''  
He looked up at me suddenly.  
''Will you read to me?''  
I raised an eyebrow but nodded.  
''Yeah. If you want me to.''  
He nodded and moved to grab the book before returning to his earlier position on top of me, his face pressed against my neck.  
I frowned, trying to find where I had been reading before Gaara had interrupted me. I finally found it and began reading softly, slightly embarrassed about reading out loud.  
After a few minutes I was drawn into the story and forgot about my hesitation, finding myself changing the pitch of my voice to match each character.  
After about an hour of reading, my voice became hoarse and I had to stop. I looked down at Gaara for the first time, finding that he had become still, his breathing slow and even.  
I smiled slightly, returning to my reading, this time silently.

By the next day Gaara was feeling better, his nose no longer stuffy, his head was clear and he only had a slight cough.  
He woke up around nine and instantly rushed to the bathroom, getting a shower and changing into his Kazekage robes.  
When he came back out he smiled slightly and kissed me quickly.  
''Thank you for taking such good care of me Love. I'll see you when I get home?''  
I nodded.  
''Of course. Where else will I be?''  
He nodded and kissed me again, this one lasting a bit longer then the first. When he pulled back he gave me a half grin before strapping his gourd on.  
''Alright. I'm going. Try to keep out of trouble today.''  
I nodded and waved from my seated position on the bed.  
''I'll try. Don't kill any ninjas.''  
He smiled at me over his shoulder before hurrying out of the room.  
I grinned and streatched my arms over my head, feeling my back and shoulders pop. I was glad that Gaara was better but now I had no idea what to do with my day.  
I sighed and flopped backwards on the bed, pouting up at the ceiling. I didn't have long to sulk however. Temari didn't even knock before she bursted into the room, carrying a garment bag.  
''Ria! I went to Krissy's to check on the dresses, and she's already finished yours! Try it on!''  
I stood from the bed, watching as she laid the bag out on the bed, quickly pulling at the zipper and ooing at the white fabric that was revealed.  
She pulled the dress carefully from the bag before turning towards me, holding the dress out for me to see.  
I gaped at the lacy object. I had seen it just days before, but it had looked NOTHING like the finished project. I was still staring at the dress when Temari huffed, stomping towards me and began pulling at my nightshirt.  
''C'mon Ria! Don't just stand there, try it on!''  
I nodded and stepped away from her hands, pulling my clothes off before stepping into the dress that she held out.  
She fastened the back and fluffed the bottom of the dress before moving around to look me over.  
She grinned and clapped her hands together.  
''You look great, Ria! Gaara isn't going to know what hit him when you show up dressed like this. Can I do your hair for the ceremony?''  
I smiled and nodded quickly.  
''Of course you can, Temari.''  
She smiled and reached forward to pile my hair on top of my head, mumbling about the different styles that she thought would look good. I let her continue this for a moment before pulling away, making my way into the bathroom to take a look at my reflection.  
I looked at everything carefully, taking in every tiny detail. All in all it was gorgeous. The cream colored silk was covered by the lace, the pearl like buttons on the back beginning at the top and running down past my behind. The heart shaped neckline plunging slightly, while the waist came in tightly.  
I twirled slowly, trying to take in my entire reflection and smiled slightly as I caught sight of Temari grinning at me.  
''So what do you think?''  
I grinned.  
''I love it! So since my dress is finished, does that mean that yours and the other girls dresses will be done soon?''  
Temari laughed.  
''Actually they're already finished.  
I frowned.  
''How is that? Doesn't she still need to do a final fitting on Misa and Mona? She can't do that if they aren't here.''  
There was a giggle and an amused voice spoke from the room behind Temari.  
''Who said that we weren't here?''  
My eyes widened and I moved past Temari to find both girls in the bedroom.  
I squealed and rushed towards them, Misa echoing my squeal and grabbing me in a bear hug.  
''Hi! That dress looks great on you!''  
I laughed and pulled out of her arms before turning to Mona, speaking while she returned my hug,  
''When did you two get here?''  
Mona shrugged and pushed herself away from me.  
''Yesterday. Temari wrote us, telling us about how we needed to get the dresses fitted and we decided that it would be a good time to come down. Kankuro actually came to get us. Though he didn't say anything about Gaara being sick until we got here.''  
I nodded.  
''So how long are you going to stay?''  
Mona shrugged.  
''I don't know. I mean your wedding is coming up soon and Temari said that you still have a lot that needs to be done. We thought that you could use the extra help.''  
I nodded quickly.  
''Yeah. It would be nice. Though Temari has been great with all the help she's given me.''  
Temari smiled and shrugged.  
''It was no problem, Ria. What are future sister-in-laws for, if not to help with wedding planning.''  
I smiled at her before turning back to the other two girls, only to have another voice interrupt us.  
''Hey. Can I have my girlfriend back now? I haven't been able to spend time with her in a while.''  
All of us turned to where Kankuro stood by the door and I saw Misa's eyes instantly light up as she skipped towards him, grabbing his arm once she was standing by his side.  
''Of course you can, sweetheart. I was just saying hello to Ria. You know, since she didn't know Mona and I were here.''  
I nodded and he sighed.  
''Alright. Then I'm going to take you to the market.''  
She nodded and let Kankuro pull her from the room. Mona shook her head.  
''Alright. I'm going to go lay down for a bit. I didn't sleep well last night and I am NOT about to have dark circles under my eyes.''  
I nodded and turned to Temari as Mona closed the door.  
''Thank you for bringing them here,''  
She nodded and smiled.  
''It was no problem, Ria. I knew once Gaara got better and went back to work that you would get a bit lonely. Though I'm afraid that you won't be able to see them a whole lot anyways. Sai was sent here on a mission and just arrived today. I suppose that that's why Mona wants to look rested. And Kankuro is going to want Misa's attention, I'm sure.''  
I shrugged.  
''That's alright. If I get to lonely then I'll just go visit Gaara. And I can keep Butterball now since I don't have to focus all my attention on a cranky Kazekage.''  
Temari laughed and nodded.  
''Alright. Let me go get the little panda then. I know that he's been missing you. I caught him the other day sleeping outside your bedroom door.''  
I awed and watched as Temari left the room. Apparently my days wouldn't be as boring as I had originally thought.

**Thanks for reading. **

**:)**

**Review if you want and ignore any mistakes.**

**I don't own NARUTO or it's characters.**


	77. Chapter 77

The day of my wedding came before I was ready.  
I woke up that morning, Gaara's arms still wrapped around me, his face buried in my hair. I bit my lip and after looking at the clock, sighed. I pulled away from Gaara slightly, trying not to wake him when he groaned and tightened his arms.  
''Where are you going?''  
I shrugged and relaxed back into him.  
''I need to get up. Your sister will be busting into the room any minute, wanting me to start getting ready. We have a lot to do before two.''  
He grumbled and pulled me closer, laying kisses against my neck.  
''I suppose that I should be glad that I get to marry you in a few hours, but I can't seem to get past the fact that I have to let you out of my arms.''  
I nodded and turned to face him.  
''I know. But I still have to.''  
He sighed and I moved to rub my nose against his. He smiled at me and lowered his head to get a proper kiss, one of his hands sliding up my back to tangle in my hair.  
I smiled into the kiss and was bringing my arms around him when the door to the bedroom flew open, banging against the door. I pulled back with a gasp and Gaara was shooting a murderous glare over his shoulder at his sister who simply grinned back at him.  
''C'mon Ria! We've got things to do. And Gaara, stop glaring at me. You get her all to yourself tonight. Right now she's got to get things ready.''  
He growled softly and I pulled myself away from him with a sigh, crawling over him towards where his sister watched in amusement.  
She grabbed my hand the moment that I was close and waved at Gaara, an impish smile on her face.  
''Go do what you need to do, Gaara. And don't come looking for Ria. It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.''  
I smiled over my shoulder, seeing his icy look that he was giving her and waved as Temari pulled me into the room that had been transformed into a dressing room. She had told me the week before that the first Kazekage's wife had wanted a room to get ready in, without her husband bothering her all of the time.  
The entire room had floor to ceiling mirrors, with six large dressing tables and matching stools along one wall. Large bay windows gave natural lighting to the room, while the dangling chandalers brightened the room even further.  
Temari pushed me towards one of the dressing tables and grabbed the brush that rested there.  
''Alright. Let's start with your hair and then we'll move onto your makeup and then I'll help you get dressed.''  
I nodded.  
''Shouldn't we check on the wedding preperations?''  
I saw her shake her head in the mirror.  
''No. I'm sure that everything is going fine. Especially since I sent Kankuro to supervise. If they mess up even a chair placement he knows that I'll have his head.''  
I laughed and she frowned as she tugged at a knot in my hair.  
''Geez Ria. Your hair is crazy.''  
I nodded and winced as she pulled at another knot. At this rate it would take her forever to get through the rats nest.  
Temari began to talk about random things and I answered when necessary, but for the most part I let my mind wander.  
At some point Misa and Mona came into the room, starting on their own hair and makeup.  
Once Temari finshed my hair, curling it and piling most of it up on my head, while letting some of the curled tendrils fall around my head, she turned me away from the mirror and started on my makeup.  
She hadn't gotten on more then my foundation when there was a knock on the door. She frowned at the interruption but after making sure that both Misa and Mona where decent asked the person to enter.  
The door opened and I waved excitedly as my adopted brother stepped into the room.  
He grinned and walked over to me.  
''Hey, Little Sister. How's it going?''  
I shrugged.  
''Fine. Though I feel like I've been in this chair for hours.''  
He chuckled and bent down to hug me tightly, avoiding messing up my hair.  
''Your hair looks good though. I've never seen the tangle mess look this nice.''  
I laughed and hugged him back tightly.  
''Thanks, brother. Though I do need to finish getting ready. I don't have that long until I have to be at the ceremony.''  
He nodded.  
''I know. But there's a surprise for you waiting downstairs. Come down when you're ready.''  
I nodded and watched him go in confussion.  
I turned back to Temari who gave me a conspiring look. Apparently she already knew what was going on, but wasn't going to spill the secret.  
I returned to my seat and let her finish my makeup. She went with a light silvery-pink eyeshadow, pink blush and glossy rose lipstick. Something that I would have never thought to do.  
She helped me into my dress, careful to not get any makeup on the white fabric. I slipped my strappy, silver shoes on and made my way slowly down the stairs, careful to not trip on the long dress.  
I gasped when I caught sight of the blonde hair that could only belong to one person. Said person turned towards me and grinned hugely and rushed towards me, pulling me from the stairs and twirling me around.  
''Look at you! You look so grown-up!''  
I laughed and he put me down. I was still smiling up at him when another pair of arms pulled me into a hug. I looked up and smiled at the gray eyes that met mine.  
''Hi, Dolly.''  
He smirked and tightened his arms.  
''Hello, Dearheart. You do look lovely.''  
I smiled and looked past his arm at the other person that stood in the room. Weasel stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a smile on his face. Salem stood next to him, grinning hugely.  
''How...How are all of you here? I mean, I knew that Salem would be, but...''  
Dolly shook his head.  
''That boy of yours apparently pulled some strings and practically commanded that we show up today. Though we would have anyways. We can't let you get married without us here to give you away, can you?''  
I shook my head and pulled away from him, trying not to cry, knowing that it would mess up my makeup.  
Die sniffled behind me and I turned to see him dabbing at his visible eye with a green handkerchief.  
''My baby girl is getting married. It makes me feel so old! I remember giving you baths, picking out your little clothes, changing your diapers...''  
Dolly growled.  
''She was house trained when I brought her home.''  
Weasel groaned, rubbing a hand at his eyes.  
''It's called potty trained.''  
Dolly shot him a glare over his shoulder and I couldn't stop the giggles that flew from my mouth.  
''I've missed you guys so much!''  
They smiled at me and Die stepped forwards to wrap an arm around my shoulders.  
''And we missed you. But we can have a longer reunion later. Right now, it's time to get you married, un. Not that we're rushing you. If you have any doubts about this, tell us and we will whisk you back home. I mean, how much do you really know about this guy anyways, yeah?''  
Dolly was giving him a death glare and I shook my head, smiling lightly.  
''I love Gaara, Die.''  
He sighed and pouted.  
''Alright. If you really want to do this, then we'll support your decision I guess, un. But if you ever need our help...'''  
Dolly sighed and rolled his eyes.  
''She knows that we'll be there for her if she ever gets into trouble and needs our help. But I think that she'll be alright. Ria knows how to take care of herself after all.''  
I nodded and Die huffed looking away, his arms crossed over his chest. Weasel took a step forward, his face set in a frown and hit Die across the back of his head.  
''Stop pouting! You're worse then the children.''  
Die shot him a glare and I could tell that they were about to launch into a fight, but I didn't really have time for that. The girls were coming down the stairs, all of them in light makeup, their hair hekd back in a low side ponytail, the loose hair curled as it hung over their shoulders.  
Temari was the only one that had a different colored dress, Misa and Mona wearing red. Temari's dress was silver since she was my maid of honor.  
I smiled at them and Temari rushed forward, grabbing my hand.  
''We have to go, Ria. We'll be late if we don't.''  
I nodded and turned towards Dolly, who smiled slightly.  
''We'll follow behind, Dearheart. I'll be walking you down the aisle after all.''  
I smiled and nodded, already figuring this out.  
Temari grabbed my hand and began to pull me from the room, Misa and Mona following close behind.  
I squinted when we walked into the bright Suna sunlight and gaped at the large carriage type thing that rested outside the door. Temari laughed at my expression and nudged me quickly.  
''You didn't think that I would actually let you WALK to the wedding sight, did you? Your dress would get dirty.''  
I laughed and let the driver help me into the carriage, while Temari climbed in on the other side.  
Misa tripped on the short hem of her dress, causing Temari to give her a glare that Misa was entirely unaware of.  
Mona leaned back against the seat, ignoring the slight tension that surrounded the other two girls and I sighed, trying to keep my nerves from going haywire before we got to our destination.  
I was still trying to calm myself down when the carriage pulled to a stop and the driver pulled the door open, helping us to the ground.  
I had never been to the oasis outside of Suna before and I gasped when I saw it. The grass was a dark green, the large trees casting shade over the entire place. There was a pool of water in the middle of the oasis, cloth covered chairs situated next to it. I supposed that that was were the ceremony would be held.  
There was a white runner placed on the ground in between the chairs, leading towards the edge of the water.  
There was a large, white tent set up to the left where we would have the reception. It would also serve for me to hide until the ceremony started.  
Temari began pulling towards the tent, leaving Misa and Mona to look over all of the preperations and make sure that everything was running smoothly.  
Once Temari had pulled the tent flap closed, I looked around at what had been done inside. Most of this I had left to Temari, not really caring about this part of the wedding and already stressing out about the dresses and the rules that I had to follow.  
The round tables were covered in silky, red tablecloths. The plates a shinning silver, while the glasses were a sparkling crystal. The red centerpieces held roses and anemones, a light spray of silver paint, making them sparkle.  
I felt eyes on me and turned to smile at Temari, who was watching me cautiously.  
''This is gorgeous, Temari.''  
She visibly relaxed and gave me a smile.  
''I was hoping that you would like it. I wasn't sure if I was overstepping my bounderies.''  
I shook my head.  
''No. This is beautiful. Thank you so much!''  
She grinned and waved a hand.  
''It was no problem. Really. I loved helping you with all of this.''  
She pulled my veil from the bag that she had been carrying and settled it in my hair, situating the wispy fabric over my hair without messing up the style.  
I smiled and looked towards the tents opening when Dolly walked in, his normal ninja clothes being changed out into a black suit, something that I had never seen him wear.  
He smiled at me slightly before tugging me away from Temari and threading my arm through his.  
''It's almost time to get started. Are you ready for this, Dearheart?''  
I nodded and Temari grinned.  
''Alright. I better get into position and make sure that the others are ready.''  
I nodded and watched as she left, turning a smile at Dolly. He gave me a slight smile, before it completely fell from his face.  
''I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, because I knew that Diedara would blow it all out of preportion, but are you sure about all of this, Dearheart? I know that you say that you love this boy, and I know that he loves you, I can tell by the way he looks at you.  
But are you rushing into this, just to please him?''  
I bit my lip, shaking my head.  
''No. I wouldn't have agreed to marry him if I didn't feel ready. Gaara has never pushed me into anything that made me uncomfortable, or that I didn't feel ready for. And this is no exception. He asked me when I wanted to get married and I could have told him two years from now, and though he would have been a bit disappointed, he would have accepted that, knowing that I wasn't ready.  
I know that you don't know him all to well, Dolly, but I love Gaara.''  
Dolly sighed and nodded, tugging me into hug, careful to not mess up my dress or hair.  
''Alright. Then I will not stand in the way. But if you ever have any trouble, then you know that you can talk to me about anything.''  
I nodded and grinned at him.  
''I know. Though you do have this problem with overreacting when it comes to me.''  
He smirked and shrugged slightly.  
''You are my child. I'm allowed to be overprotective.''  
He sighed.  
''Now. Shall we get you married?''  
I nodded and Dolly led me out of the tent where the other girls waited. Misa grinned at me, before hearing the music start up from the small band that Temari had found. She turned back forwards and followed Mona down the aisle towards the guys that stood there.  
This was the first time that I got to see the guys in their outfits and I rolled my eyes at the sight. Kankuro looked extremely uncomfortable, tugging at his tie ever so often. Lee was standing with his back straight and his suit startched and stiff.  
Naruto was the exact opposite. His clothes wrinkled and his tie loosened. I giggled lightly before moving my eyes to Gaara.  
This was the first time that I would see what he had decided to wear, and I bit my lip when I caught sight of him.  
Instead of his normal Kazekage robes, or even his normal ninja garb, he wore a black, pinstripped suit. The silky, crimson shirt standing out brightly against his pale skin and the black fabric of the jacket.  
Unlike the others, he wasn't wearing a tie, leaving the shirt open at the neck.  
I was startled out of my observastions by the feel of something being pressed into my hands.  
I looked up quickly, finding Temari pressing my large bouquet of cascading flowers into my hands before making her way down the isle.  
I took a deep breath and glanced at Dolly, who tilted his head, silently asking me if I was still able to go through with this.  
I smiled slightly and nodded, letting him lead me down the isle.  
There was a collective gasp when the crowd saw who's arm it was that I was clinging to, and an even louder mummer when both Die and Weasel appeared on the other side of me at the end of the aisle.  
I saw Lady Tsunada's eye begin to twitch in irritation as the crowd began to become louder and she stepped forward, her voice overpowering when she spoke, causing everyone to quiet.  
''Silence! These men are Ria's family. They are NOT the Sasori, Diedara, or Itachi from the Akatsuki. Those men are dead. As our records state. The entire Akatsuki organization has been anhiliated and so there will not be any threatening words or actions to these men. They are simply the men that raised this girl!''  
I saw Dolly's eyes twitch in annoyance to Tsunada's loud announcement and squeezed his arm affectionantly. Ever since Rosa had died he had become even less accepting of loud women.  
He looked down at me and after a moment, forced himself to relax and turn his attention back to the now calm Hokage.  
''According to Suna custom the brides family must be willing to part with the girl and accept the Kazekage as her husband. So I ask you, will you give this woman to be married to Suna's fifth Kazekage, Gaara?''  
There was a moment of silence and I began to silently pray that my adopted family wasn't going to do something extreme when Dolly spoke, his voice neutral.  
''We agree.''  
I breathed a sigh of relief, smiling at him softly, before wincing as Die spoke under his breath.  
''If we have to. Though I would prefer to just sabatoge this whole wedding.''  
Dolly shot him a glare and Weasel threw a fist into Die's stomach, causing the blonde to lose his breath.  
I heard Salem chuckle lightly, while Naruto grinned hugely and Dolly sighed before pushing me towards Gaara, who took my hand quickly pulling me to his side.  
I looked to see Dolly pulling Die by his hair, to their seats, Weasel following close behind, a glare directed at them.  
I grinned sheepishly and turned to see Lady Tsuanada's eyes twitching in irritation, before she turned back to us to finish the ceremony.  
I turned to face Gaara, smiling at him slightly, watching his lip twitch in amusement. His hands tightening around mine as Tsunada continued with the ceremony.

**I don't own Naruto or it's characters. Thanks for reading.**

**:)**


	78. Chapter 78

The wedding had continued without any problems and practically flew by.  
Soon I was married, Gaara having slid the wedding band that matched my engagement ring on my finger and I slipped his plain white gold band onto his finger.  
It wasn't until we were in the tent, people piling in to find their tables that I actually realized how many people had been at my wedding. Including Sakura and Sasuke.  
I winced as the younger Uchiha shot a glare at me from his table. I should have known that he wouldn't be happy when he found out that I had spent more time with his brother then he had. Or that I knew that he was still living and had children.  
Toru had been taking care of the twins and Niko, but as soon as everyone was situated at their tables, all three children ran wild.  
Niko instantly ran to me and jumped into my lap, clinging to me. While the twins walked calmly over to Sasuke and told him that they were his family and that he needed to stop being such a jerk.  
I snickered at this, but quickly hid my face when the irritated Uchiha turned a glare at me.  
Itatchi soon took over his brothers attention however, when he settled down next to him, to explain everything that had happened.  
Die and Dolly stayed off to the side, though I could hear them arguing. I rolled my eyes and settled against Gaara, who hadn't really let me out of his reach since the ceremony.  
It was getting late, and I noticed that Gaara was becoming restless when the Council Members came over to our table. I could feel my eyes widen when they stopped in front of us and I glanced to my right to see Dolly, Die and Salem looking our way, watching the men cautiously.  
Salem had told Dolly about the the Council's dislike of me and how they had been trying to convince Gaara to not marry me, so he wasn't too happy with them.  
I turned my attention back to the Council and almost jumped out of my chair when they bowed slightly, their heads lowered.  
''We have come to apologize, Lord Kazekage. About how we have been treating the now Lady Kazekage. We did not realize how much of an asset she would be to Suna. Please forgive us for questioning your judgement.''  
I looked at Gaara, finding him glaring at the men, though there was a smug look in his eyes.  
''I expect for all of you to remember your place from now on. And to treat my wife with respect. Remember that I am not the only one that can become offended by your treatment of her.''  
They visibly flinched and slunk away. I turned to look at Gaara, who smirked at me.  
''I was wondering if they would come to apologize after seeing who your family was.''  
I rolled my eyes and laughed, squeezing his hand that had rested on my leg throughout the night.  
It wasn't long after that when Dolly came to get a dozing Niko. Both he and Die promised to visit me before they left, and after they walked away I let Gaara wrap us in sand and transport us home.  
We hadn't said goodbye to anyone but Gaara was sure that they wouldn't even notice that we were gone. Especially since Kankuro had insisted that there be an open bar.  
We stood across from each other in our room, staring at each other cautiously. Though we had been sleeping in the same bed for a while, tonight was a bit different.  
I finally swallowed hard and turned away from him.  
''Will you undo my dress?''  
He hummed softly and I heard him move forwards, his hands tugging at the dresses clasps.  
I pulled the veil from my hair, tossing it to the bed and reaching up to pull the many pins out that held my hair up.  
I felt the back of the dress gape open around the same time that I pulled the last pin from my hair, letting it fall over my shoulders and down my back.  
I shivered slightly as I felt Gaara's fingers run along my spine and pulled out of his reach quickly, turning to smile at him.  
''I'm going to go change.''  
He nodded slowly and began to pull off his jacket, chunking it towards the desk.  
I hurried to the bathroom and closed the door behind me, sighing as I leaned against it. After a moment of steeling my nerves I went to one of the cabinets where I had stored the pink bag that held my clothes for the night. Or what I suppose would LOOSELY be called clothes.  
Temari had taken me shopping for langera a few days before the wedding, insisting that I buy something for tonight. After about fifteen minutes of arguing and being embarrased I had finally given in and bought one of the less revealing outfits that I could find.  
The red, lacy baby doll stopped high on my thigh, leaving most of my legs bare. The low neckline made me a bit uncomfortable but if things went like they were supposed too, I would be showing more than a bit of clevage by the end of the night anyways.  
I sighed and slipped into the baby doll before washing the makeup from my face and brushing my teeth. After I finished my normal night routine, I walked out of the room cautiously. I found Gaara, already under the covers his fingers fidgeting with the pillow.  
I walked towards him and his eyes instantly searched for me. He sat up once he caught sight of me, his eyes wide and his face heating slightly.  
I bit my lip and swallowed hard before plastering a smile on my face and twirling slowly.  
''Do you like? Your sister made me buy it.''  
He swallowed hard and his eyes trailed over me slowly, his attention making my face flush. When his eyes returned to mine, I could see the telltale heat in them, his voice rougher as he spoke.  
''I'll have to thank her sometime for treating you like a doll to dress up. But for right now, why don't you come here?''  
I nodded and walked towards him. Though apparently it wasn't fast enough for him. He used his sand to pick me up and place me on the bed in front of him.  
He smirked and pushed the covers from him, moving to sit up on his knees. He reached out a hand to brush my hair away from my face.  
''You looked lovely today. I don't think I told you that.''  
I smiled and shook my head.  
''No, you didn't. Though, you didn't look bad yourself. I've never seen you in a suit before, it looked really good.''  
He smirked and shrugged.  
''I guess that the trouble I went through to get it was worth it then.''  
I frowned and moved closer.  
''What trouble?''  
He shrugged, falling back to sit cross legged on the bed, his hands wrapping around my hips.  
''The shop girls aren't very professional when they were trying to measure me.''  
I felt a strange surge of jealousy run over me and Gaara grinned, tugging me to where I straddled his hips.  
''Are you jealous, Love?''  
I pouted and he smirked, nuzzling his face into my neck. Sighing softly.  
''There's no need to feel that way. I'm sure the glare that I gave them scared them enough. They scurried away like frightened animals after that.''  
I felt his satisfied grin and rolled my eyes, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.  
''I'm sure you terrified them.''  
He hummed and began to nip at my skin, following the dresses strap to where the neckline began.  
I bit my lip and scooted closer to him, causing him to sigh. He lifted his head and looked at me with dark eyes.  
''Shukaku is telling me some interesting things.''  
I nodded and gasped when he flipped us so that I was lying against the bed with him hovering over me.  
He smirked lightly and lowered his head to kiss me roughly, his body resting on me slightly.  
I felt his hand slide up the baby doll and gasped into his mouth. He bit into my bottom lip before pulling away, our breathing shallow.  
''Shukaku says that I need to finish bonding you to me. It might hurt you a bit.''  
I nodded and Gaara leaned his head down to where my neck and shoulder met. He brushed his teeth against my skin and I could feel the elongated canines. I gasped slightly when he bit down, his teeth sinking into me.  
It hurt for a moment, before I felt something strange flowing into the wound. I had my hand tangled in his hair and gazed at him in a daze when he pulled away.  
''Wh...what did you do?'  
He shrugged and rubbed his thumb against the sore spot.  
''I transferred some of my chakara into you. It's part of the bonding process. Are you alright?''  
I nodded and Gaara relaxed, smiling lightly.  
''I'm going to love you now. Alright?''  
I took a deep breath and smiled.  
''Yeah.''  
He smirked and lowered his head, capturing my lips with his.

**Thank you for reading. **

**:)**

**I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters.**


	79. Chapter 79

I woke up the next day, groaning slightly as the sunlight piericed my eyes. I should have closed the blinds before going to bed. I clenched my eyes and sighed as the arm around me pulled me closer, Gaara's face nuzzling into the back of my neck.  
I opened my eyes and smiled slightly, remembering the night before.  
Gaara had been upset at hurting me, but had calmed down after a bit and continued.  
He fell asleep with his arms wrapped around me tightly and as far as I knew hadn't woken up during the night. I guess he was worn out.  
I grinned and eased myself out of his arms, shivering lightly in the cool air before I pulled on his red dress shirt. My outfit I had worn the night before hadn't really survived the grasping hands and biting teeth.  
I walked towards the bathroom, cringing at the pain between my legs. That's something that most people didn't tell you about, the uncomfortable feeling AFTER your first time.  
I shut the door lightly, trying not to wake Gaara and took a look at myself. Excluding a few marks, I looked the same as I normally did. I shrugged and twinged as the spot between my shoulder and neck ached.  
I moved the shirt away and found the deep red mark. It looked a bit like a scar and I doubted that it would ever go away.  
I shrugged and reached towards the medicine cabinet above the sink and pulled down my birth control. I had been taking it religiously since Gaara had purposed, convinced that I wouldn't have a baby until I was ready.  
I took my daily dose of the pill, finished what I needed to in the bathroom and crept my way back to the bedroom.  
I crawled under the covers and Gaara groaned, his arms wrapping around me and pulling me into his chest.  
He frowned and squinted open his eyes, looking over me.  
''You put clothes on.''  
I nodded and snuggled closer.  
''Yeah. It was too cold to walk around without something on.''  
His frown deepened and his hand wandered up his shirt, rubbing across my bare back.  
''I like you better without clothes. I think that we should just not wear clothes in the bed. It's warm enough without them.''  
I rolled my eyes and let him pull his shirt off of me, I hadn't really fastened more then four of the buttons anyways. He tossed the shirt to the floor and I sighed.  
''It's going to get wrinkled if you keep throwing it around like that.''  
He shrugged and tugged me closer, closing his eyes with a sigh.  
''I don't care.''  
I rolled my eyes, before snuggling closer to him, sighing at the warmth that radiated off of his skin and closed my eyes.  
I was dozing when he began speaking.  
''Are you feeling alright today? I wasn't too rough last night, was I? And your mark isn't hurting you is it?''  
I shrugged, keeping my eyes closed.  
''I'm fine Gaara. There's a bit of uncomfortableness when I move certain ways, but I was expecting that.''  
I felt him nod and he laid a kiss to my head.  
''Alright. Are you hungry?''  
I opened my eyes to frown at him and shook my head.  
''Not really.''  
He nodded and began to fidget slightly.  
I sighed and wrapped an arm around his waist, pressing myself flush against him, causing him to gasp slightly. I smiled at getting him to become quiet and ran my hand across his back. I frowned when instead of feeling smooth skin, certain places where rough.  
I sat up and gasped. Gaara's eyes widened and he sat up to face me.  
''What's wrong?''  
I bit my lip and traced a mark that was visible on his shoulder.  
''I think that I hurt you last night?''  
He looked behind him, and his eyes widened when he saw the nail marks that marred his back. He turned back to me with a smirk, kissing me quickly.  
''Don't let it bother you. I didn't feel it. And I like that you get that excited that you have to hold onto me.''  
I felt my face heating in a blush and he smirked rubbing his nose against mine.  
''I need a shower. Would you like to take one with me?''  
I paused for a moment before shaking my head.  
''No. I'm going to sleep for a bit longer I think.''  
He pouted but sighed after a moment, pulling me into a deep kiss. He pulled away after a moment, sliding from the bed. I watched him move around and blushed when he turned a smirk over his shoulder.  
''See something you like, Love?'  
I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him as he grinned before making his way into the bathroom, leaving the door open.

/

Two weeks after my wedding I was forced to say goodbye to my family and Misa. Mona had already left the week before, following Sai to Kanoha.  
Niko clung to me, crying softly.  
I hugged him tightly and looked sadly at Dolly who was having an argument with Die. Gaara stood beside me frowning slightly, not sure about how to handle the crying child in my arms.  
Dolly finally broke away from Die, taking Niko away from me and hugging me tightly before moving away.  
''Alright, Dearheart. We'll come to visit you soon.''  
I nodded and was grabbed in a hug by both Die and Salem, nearly being crushed between them. Die began sniffling slightly and Salem pouted.  
''Bye, Little Sister. I expect a visit some time.''  
I nodded and both men let go of me, moving to stand next to where Dolly and Toru waited.  
Misa waved at me happily, her free hand grasping Kankuro's who would take her back to Aubry's before returning to Suna.  
I watched them leave, holding back tears as Gaara wrapped arms around me and I buried my face in his chest. He rubbed my back slowly and laid a kiss to my hair.  
''C'mon, Love. Let's go inside.''  
I nodded and let him lead me into the house.

**Thank you for reading and review if you would like.**

**I don't own Naruto or it's characters.**

**:)**


	80. Chapter 80

I threw up for what felt like the twelfth time that day, nothing left in my stomach but acid.  
I groaned and rested my cheek against the cool tile. Gaara pulled my hair out of my face and I knew without even looking that his expression was worried.  
''You've been like this for over a week, Love. Why don't you go to the doctor? I hate seeing you like this. Please?''  
I sighed. He had been saying the same thing since the second day of my 'illness' and had been becoming more and more worried with every passing day. He was even late for work today because he couldn't force himself to leave me alone like this.  
I finally nodded, already having an idea what was wrong and sat up.  
''Alright. Help me up and I'll go.''  
He frowned and wrapped his arms around me, lifting me to my feet.  
''I'll transport you to the hospital. Do you want me to stay with you while you're being checked out?''  
I shook my head.  
''No. Just go to your office once you drop me off. I'll come by once all the tests are done.''  
He nodded and in the next moment sand surrounded us.  
When the sand fell away I grimaced at the hospital smell that greeted me, upsetting my stomach.  
The hospital staff instantly rushed towards us, a tall woman walking over and taking my arm with a smile.  
''We'll take care of her, Lord Kazekage.''  
I nodded and kissed Gaara's cheek quickly.  
''I'll be fine Gaara, go ahead and go to work.''  
He didn't seem convinced but nodded, turning a warning glare towards the woman before letting his sand again wrap around him, transporting him to the Kazekage Tower.  
I sighed and smiled slightly at the woman.  
''I'm pretty sure I know what's wrong with me.''  
She nodded.  
''What are your symptoms?''  
I shrugged.  
''Vomiting, dizziness, I'm constantly tired...''  
She bit her lip and nodded.  
''Let me take you to Dr. Lo. She'd be the best one for you, I think.''  
I nodded and followed her to a sterile, white room with the typical tall exhamination table.  
I settled myself on the table while the woman went in search of the Doctor.  
I didn't have to wait for long, before a middle aged woman with dark brown hair walked into the room, her clip bored and white coat giving her away as a Doctor.  
She smiled at me brightly and closed the door behind her.  
''Hello, Lady Kazekage. My assistant says that you're having some issues.''  
I nodded and she looked at her clip bored before moving towards the table next to a wall.  
''Alright. We need to take a blood sample and then get it tested. We're not really busy today, so this shouldn't take more then fifteen minutes.''  
I nodded and let her take a blood sample.  
She smiled when she was finished, disposing of the needle and capping the vile.  
''Alright. I'll be back in a few minutes. Just rest here, Lady Kazekage.''  
I nodded and watched her go, flopping back on the bed and hoping that my dizziness would go away.  
I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, the closing of the door jolted me awake.  
I sat up and noticed the Doctors grin as she stepped into the room and held in a groan.  
''Congratulations, Lady Kazekage. It seems that your illness is nothing to worry about. You are simply pregnant.''  
I groaned and covered my face in my hands.  
I could feel her confussion and moved my hands to see her bitting her lip.  
''I'm sorry, Lady Kazekage, but do you not want this baby?''  
My eyes widened and I quickly shook my head.  
''Of course I do! I was just hoping for some more time with my husband before I had a kid.''  
I saw her body relax and she nodded.  
''Oh. Alright. I was a bit worried for a moment is all. Especially since we don't perform that kind of surgery here.''  
I shook my head.  
''No. I suppose that this was meant to happen, since I've been taking birth control for months now and STILL managed to get pregnant.''  
The Doctor chuckled and nodded.  
''Birth control is effective most of the time, but there are cases where a baby can still be conceived. Did you stop taking them once you saw symptoms?''  
I nodded.  
''Yeah. As soon as I started throwing up and my boobs started hurting. I was almost positive that I knew what it was.''  
She nodded and prescribed me a vitamin and gave me a list of foods that were bad for me. I left the hospital, trying to avoid the curious looks and made my way towards the Kazekage Tower.  
When I walked inside Gaara's secretary smiled slightly before returning to his paperwork. I walked into the office, seeing Gaara gazing out the window distractedly.  
I cleared my throat and Gaara turned towards me quickly. He smiled slightly and held his arms out, wanting me to sit in his lap. I went towards him and crawled into his arms taking a deep breath.  
''So I found out what was wrong with me.''  
Gaara nodded quickly.  
''Alright. And what was it?''  
I swallowed hard and bit my lip.  
''I...I'm...I'm pregnant.''  
His eyes had become worried with how upset I seemed to be, but his eyes cleared when I finally finished my sentence. He grinned suddenly and hugged me to him tightly.  
''Is that all? I was so worried that something awful was wrong with you, but this is good news.''  
I frowned and his smile slid from his face.  
''What's wrong, Love?''  
I shrugged and his arms tightened around me, pulling me closer to him.  
Don't try to shrug this off, Ria. I can FEEL that your upset.  
My eyes shot to his and I sighed, my shoulders slumping.  
''I know that I should be excited, but I don't. Not really. I was so careful to use protection and I STILL become pregnant.''  
I shrugged and leaned forward to lay my cheek against his shoulder.  
''I wanted more time alone with you. But now, in less then nine months, we're going to be parents.''  
Gaara sighed and rested his head against mine.  
''But isn't it more amazing that we're having a baby after being careful? Doesn't that show that we're MEANT to have this baby now?''  
I nodded.  
''Yeah. I've already thought about that. But that still doesn't make me that happy about the timing.''  
He sighed.  
''If I didn't know you better, then I would begin to think that you didn't want this baby.''  
I pulled away and frowned at him. He was the second person to imply that today.  
''Of COURSE I want this baby. Just because I'm not happy about having it this SOON doesn't mean that I don't want it.''  
He nodded and pulled me back to lean against him.  
''Alright. I was hoping that was the case. I didn't know how to handle it if it turned out that you really didn't want to have a baby with me.''  
I frowned.  
''Who ever said anything about me not wanting a baby with you? As far as I know that's a normal part of marriage and it's always been in the back of my mind that we would have kids one day, not that I was expecting one so soon, but I always planned on having a baby with you eventually. Did somebody say otherwise?''  
He shrugged, his hand coming up to run through my hair.  
''I heard some people talking today with one of the Council, I'm not sure who they were, and they said something that I just hadn't thought about before and though I had ignored it, your news caused it to come to the front of my mind.''  
I nodded, wanting him to continue.  
''They were talking about our wedding and a female voice began to question if you would ever want a child with me. Since I still had Shukaku and with the awful way that my own birth had gone. With the death of my mother being a real possibility of happening to you as well.''  
I scoffed, causing Gaara to lean back and look at my face.  
I rolled my eyes and smiled.  
''Whatever. I never met your mother, hon but if she looked anything like your sister, I can tell you that  
labor won't hurt me nearly as bad. I mean...have you compared our hips? I have the best type of birthing hips, I think.''  
Gaara frowned at me and I laughed, knowing that he was confused.  
''Okay. Let me explain this to you, since I'm sure that you haven't heard it before. When a girl has a baby, the size of her hips will determine about how rough it will be for her to deliver a baby naturally. I mean the whole contraction thing will hurt either way, but the entire process will NORMALLY hurt more for a girl with small hips than one with full hips.''  
I saw Gaara taking in this information and after a moment he simply shrugged. His hands sliding onto my hips and pulling me closer, his voice deeper as he spoke.  
''I like your hips. I can grab them and make you stay with me when we're sitting like this.''  
I nodded and rolled my eyes.  
''Yeah. But do you understand what I was saying? Your sister is pretty small through the hip area, and I've heard multiple times that she takes after your mom.''  
He nodded and I continued.  
''Then we really don't have any reason to worry about that type of labor trouble. This baby won't have a Tanuki spirit put inside of it, nor will I have the same issues with child birth as your mom. So whoever that was in that room, was an idiot.''  
Gaara smiled and I could feel his tense muscles relax as he let go of the concern that I was sure even he hadn't realized had affected him so deeply.  
I felt one of his hands slide around and he touched my stomach softly.  
''Did the doctor tell you how far along you were?''  
I rolled my eyes.  
''No. But I'm pretty sure I can pinpoint the date. I mean it's not like I had done anything before our wedding night, and I didn't start having certain symptoms until five weeks ago? Yeah. That's about right. So about two months.''  
He nodded, his expression thoughtful.  
''I was wondering why you stopped taking your birth control. I guess that that was a good reason.''  
I frowned, pulling away to look at him, an eyebrow raised.  
''And just how did you know that I wasn't taking my birth control?''  
He shrugged.  
''You've been taking it everyday before I went to work but then I noticed that you didn't take it again.''  
I sighed and nodded.  
''I should have known that you would notice that. Why didn't you say anything?''  
He shrugged.  
''I knew that something was up. I just knew that you would tell me at some point and until you got sick last week, I wasn't worried. I guess I should have put two and two together, huh?''  
I shook my head and smiled softly.  
''No. If I was in your position, I wouldn't have thought anything about it either.''  
He nodded and laid a kiss to my temple.  
We were silent for a moment and I was beginning to think that it was strange not to be interrupted when the door to Gaara's office was flung open and I rolled my eyes. My thoughts had to be seriously cursed or something.  
I looked over my shoulder at the startled Council Member and sighed, trying to pull myself away from Gaara, only to be jerked back to my original spot. I turned wide eyes towards Gaara and he simply gave me a challenging look and I rolled my eyes, letting him keep me pressed against him.  
Once he was certain that I wasn't moving, he turned towards the man, his face expresionless.  
''Is there something that you needed?''  
I saw the man nod slightly, his eyes darting around the room, trying not to focus on his Kazekage as his new wife was spiraled across his lap. I'm sure he was embarrassed. It was entertaining.  
''I'm sorry to intrude, Lord Kazekage. Had I known that you had...company, I would have waited to interupt you. We need to discuss what to do about the chunin exams this year and which of our ninja's we will be sending.''  
Gaara nodded, his face becoming thoughtful.  
''I'll talk to the sensei's tomorrow and give you an answer. It's up to them anyways since they know how their students are doing.''  
The man nodded and after a quick bow, excused himself, hurrying from the room.  
I laughed and shook my head.  
''I think that you want all of your Council Members to find us in an awkward position and make them embarrassed.''  
He smirked and shrugged.  
''Maybe. Though they seem to be more accepting since they met your family.''  
I giggled and nodded, letting my head fall back to Gaara's shoulder, his hand stroking my hair gently.  
''I think that the room next to ours would make a good nursery, don't you?''  
I shrugged.  
''I guess. I haven't been in that room. I guess I'll need to find baby furniture and clothes soon.''  
Gaara frowned.  
''We have some baby stuff in the attic. If you want to use that.''  
I pulled away and looked at him.  
''Really? You still have all of that stuff?''  
He nodded and I bit my lip.  
''I'll need to look at it to make sure that it's still usable, but truthfully I would probably prefer older furniture to anything new. It's normally more stable.''  
He smiled for a moment before frowning.  
''What are we going to name it.''  
I groaned and buried my face in his neck.  
''I don't know! You know how much issue we had naming Butterball, and he's a panda! I guess we need to come up with both a boy AND a girl name...unless we have TWINS! Oh man...''  
Gaara's shoulders were shaking and his arms moved to wrap around my back. His voice shaking as he spoke.  
''It's alright, Love. We do have some time before the baby gets here.''  
I nodded.  
''But still...we should probably make a list of names that we really like and then we can narrow them down as the months pass.''  
He nodded and began to ramble off a list of names and I groaned. This was going to be awful.

**:)**

**Thanks for reading. **

**I actually enjoyed writing this chapter as well.**

**I don't own Naruto or it's characters.**

**Review if** **you want and ignore any mistakes that I've made.**


	81. Chapter 81

I sneezed as a cloud of dust flew off the sheet that I had just flung to the floor.  
I was in the attic, looking at the old baby furniture that had been stored for years. I had found a bassinet, a changing table and I had just found the crib.  
All of them were made out of white, birch wood and had brass knobs and latches. And they were HEAVY. I couldn't even lift the bassinet though it was mostly white cloth.  
I sighed and turned to the white trunk that was filled with toys and baby clothes. I could see Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara's childhood trunks set in a corner, but I had no idea what this one was for.  
I pulled out the small outfits, trying to figure out who they belonged to and finally gave up, not really finding an answer.  
I found a plush panda bear and laughed, comparing it to Butterball and shaking my head when I found that it didn't really look like the real thing.  
I was folding the a tiny shirt when Temari poked her head into the attic, a curious look on her face.  
''Hey, Ria. What are you doing up here?''  
I felt my face flush in embarrassment and I shrugged.  
Gaara and I hadn't told anyone the news yet, prefering to keep it quiet for another month or so, until it became apparent about what was going on. But apparently that was going to be an issue since Temari had the worst timing about coming home unexpectedly. She had been on a mission when I had come up here and wasn't supposed to be back until late the next night.  
Temari came fully into the attic and frowned as she looked at what I had been doing. Her eyebrow rose when she saw what I had uncovered and she turned back to me with wide eyes.  
''Ria. Are you pregnant?''  
I opened my mouth to reply but only a squeak escaped. I finally sighed and nodded, feeling my face flush.  
Temari stood still for a moment, her mouth open, before she let out a squeal and I was suddenly tackled in a tight hug, her arms wrapped around my neck.  
''Are you serious! Why didn't you tell me? We have so much planning to do! How far along are you? Are you feeling alright? Have you been sick? Did you go to the Doctor?''  
I sighed and rolled my eyes, pushing her away.  
'Calm down, Temari. I can only answer one question at a time you know.''  
She nodded and I tried to remember what she had asked.  
''Alright. We didn't tell you because we were trying to keep it from everyone until I was further along. I don't want this to be made a big deal of. I mean we were JUST married.''  
She nodded.  
''I guess I can understand. Alright. Have you had any symptoms, or did you just have a suspicion and take a test?''  
I shook my head.  
''No. I was sick for a week and it was always at the same time everyday, so Gaara made me go to the hospital and I found out then. Though I haven't been sick since.''  
She nodded and frowned.  
''How are you feeling now? I know that some of the women I've talked to have issues in the first few months.''  
I shrugged.  
''My boobs and hips hurt. And certain smells are getting to me, but otherwise I'm fine.''  
She nodded and grinned.  
''So, you're up here because you want to use the baby stuff that's up here?''  
I nodded and she squealed.  
''That's great! But I hope you know that I'm still going to buy lots of outfits for the baby. Oh! Maybe you'll have twins.''  
I groaned and covered my face with my hands, causing her to laugh.

I stared at the nursery, smiling slightly as I took in the walls that Temari had painted fairytale stories on. Who knew that she was so artistic?  
Gaara had moved all of the furniture into the room using his sand and had arranged it in the way that I wanted. There was a large throw carpet on the floor and Kankuro had surprised us with a yellow trunk for the baby. Apparently he was more excited about becoming an uncle than he let on.  
I smiled when a pair of arms wrapped around me, a nose nuzzling against my throat.  
''What do you think about the nursery, Love?''  
I shrugged lightly.  
''I like it. Your sister is a fantastic painter. Where'd she learn how to do all of that?''  
Gaara shrugged.  
''Our uncle liked to paint and he gave Temari lessons.''  
I nodded and sighed.  
''We'll need to tell Dolly soon.''  
I felt him grimace and he sighed.  
''I know that your right, but I really don't want to. I'm not sure how to handle the angry father figure that I'm sure will storm into Suna.''  
I laughed.  
''We're married Gaara. It was bound to happen at some point.''  
He shook his head.  
''Yeah. But not this soon. You said that he was coming to visit this week?''  
I nodded.  
''Yeah. He should be here either tomorrow or the next day.''  
His arms tightened, pulling me closer to him and he laid a kiss to the mark on my neck.  
''Alright. I don't guess that we would be able to hide it anyways.''  
He ran his hand across my swollen stomach and I shook my head with a sigh.  
''No. No one would believe that I was just getting fat.''  
He grinned and shook his head, kissing my cheek.  
''No. Especially not Sasori. But let's not worry about that for the moment. I'm hungry and I'm sure that you are too.''  
I blushed as my stomach let out a loud growl and laughed sheepishly.  
''Apparently I am.''  
He dropped his arms and I turned, actually seeing his smile for the first time since he got home.  
''Let's go find something to eat then, Love.''  
I nodded and let him lead me to the kitchen.

**Thanks for reading. **

:)

**i don't own Naruto or its characters.**


	82. Chapter 82

Neither Dolly or Die took the news of my pregnancy as badly as I had thought they would.  
Dolly had expected it, or so he said and Die simply fainted.  
Niko was excited about having a new playmate and was currently sitting on Gaara's lap, spouting off names that he wanted the baby to be called.  
Dolly was frowning, his eyes focused on my protruding belly and he surprised me by strolling towards me and placing a hand on my stomach. I frowned and felt a warmth coming from his palm. It only lasted a moment before he pulled back, nodding his head slightly.  
''I can only feel one heartbeat, so you're not having twins and his chakara is strong, which is good.''  
I sighed in relief, knowing that we weren't going to have two babies to take care of.  
Gaara was looking at my adopted father curiously as Dolly went to sit in the large armchair, relaxing against it.  
''I don't really feel old enough to be a grandfather, but then I suppose that I am. How are you handeling pregnancy, Dearheart? You don't seem to be ill like some women tend to be.''  
I shook my head and leaned forward on the couch that I was sitting on.  
''I haven't been sick for a while. And I don't seem to feel the symptoms that most of the mothers here have told me they experienced. I mean, I'm not any more tired then I was before I got pregnant, I don't have a lose of appetite or the morning sickness. Not since those first two months. And even then it wasn't as bad as some of the women have complained about.''  
Dolly nodded and hummed lightly.  
''That's good. Has the baby been active? Do you feel him moving or rolling?''  
I frowned before nodding slowly.  
''I feel a flutter. Kinda like the feeling of butterflies in my stomach? I didn't know what it was, but I guess that it's the baby moving?''  
Dolly nodded.  
''That's how it's always been explained to me. Have you gotten everything settled? The nursery set up, the Doctor that will help you deliver? I wouldn't suggest going natural, Niko's mother tried that with him, and we saw how well that worked out.''  
I nodded, knowing that Rosa had caused too much stress on the baby and the Doctor had been forced to not only give her the pain medication anyways, but also a light sedative.  
''Yeah. It's all taken care of. The baby doctor here is really nice.''  
Dolly nodded and sighed.  
''Well, I suppose that Diedara and I should start moving our things into the house we bought then. I don't want to be doing that in case you need us.''  
I frowned and tilted my head to the side.  
''What do you mean, Dolly?''  
He copied my movement and tilted his own head.  
''Diedara, Niko and I are moving to a house close to Suna. Did you really think that I would let you be so far away from long? There is an abandoned house in one of the oasis's close by. Diedara found the owner and bought it from him right after your wedding.''  
I was to stunned to speak for a moment before squealing lightly and throwing myself into his arms.  
''Really! You're moving to Suna? But I thought you hated it here!''  
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me.  
''I won't be living IN Suna, Dearheart. But Niko and Diedara have been constantly harassing me about us being to far away from you. And of course I missed you too. And now I will have to give you advice on how to care for a young one.''  
I laughed and hugged him tighter, looking over my shoulder to see that Gaara was unconcerned with this news. He had probably already known something like this was coming. Jerk.  
Die opened his eyes about the time I was crawling out of Dolly's arms and pouted.  
''Sasori! Did you already tell her about our moving plans?''  
Dolly nodded and Die huffed.  
''You shouldn't have fainted. It's not like her news was that startiling. We even talked about this happing.''  
Die shrugged and Niko laughed.  
''Aunt Ri, when will the baby come out to play?''  
I shrugged.  
''In a few months Niko. Let's not rush him. Okay? Gaara and I have a lot still to do.''  
Niko nodded and I settled back against the couch, listening to Die and Dolly argue while my husband paid close attention to the stories that Niko was telling him.

I groaned as I stared at the ceiling of our room, trying to ignore the constant kicking that was keeping me from napping.  
I swore that if this baby didn't grow up to be a ninja, then he was going to be some other sort of fighter. He was constantly punching and kicking me. And doing flips.  
I sighed and rubbed at my tired eyes. Well maybe I would be able to get some sleep tonight if the baby kept this up. Wearing itself out.  
I hadn't been able to tell the gender of the baby. Gaara's stubborn streak had reared it's head when I had suggested finding out, with him completely against it. Something about the machine hurting the baby or something. Dolly had firmly agreed with him, much to my consternation and I had had no choice but to give in. Though it was driving me insane, not knowing.  
I winced at a sharp kick to my ribs and began to wonder where I had scared Temari off too. She had been hovering, not wanting to leave me alone and rubbing at my belly every few minutes until I had finally snapped and told her to go away.  
I hadn't really meant to hurt her feelings, but my moodswings had been crazy for the past month. I had cried more than I had in my entire life. And it was always about stupid things. I was making stew and had to chop carrots and had began to bawl because 'I was taking away the rabbits food.' Gaara had walked into the kitchen, finding me in a pool of misery on the floor, a half chopped carrot in my hand and tears running down my face.  
Temari had been put in charge of cooking after that.  
And when I wasn't crying, I was yelling. Poor Kankuro took the brunt of that side affect. Though he mostly just laughed at me, stating that it was the most entertaining thing that had happened since he met me.  
Which only made me angrier. Kankuro had also been put in charge of getting me food when I had weird cravings. Like pickles and sweet tea...which sounded really good at the moment.  
I shook my head and smiled slightly.  
Gaara was probably the only one that stood through all of my mood swings without flinching.  
He held me when I cried about nothing and smiled softly when I was yelling at him and throwing pillows at his face.  
He was coming home at lunch and straight after work, making sure that I was okay.  
Dolly and Die visited almost every day as the pregnancy progressed, Dolly making sure that the doctors were doing everything right. And Die just wanting more company than Dolly and Niko, though he had become pretty attatched to the boy.  
I grimaced at a hard kick in my bladder, hoping that I wouldn't have to get up.  
''Will you give me ONE minute of rest without you kicking me?''  
The baby stilled at my voice, but continued to kick at me when I stopped speaking.  
I sighed and placed a hand over my large stomach.  
''I think that your a boy. I don't know why, maybe my 'mothers intuition' is starting to take affect, but I think that you'll be a boy. If not then you have one killer kick for a girl.  
Now if your daddy and I could just settle on a name. I never thought that it would be this hard to come up with a name, but I suppose since you will be stuck with it forever it should be a good one.''  
I frowned, thinking about what Gaara's preferance for the name had been. He was convinced that we should call the baby Lee, after his friend from the Leaf and I had put my foot down, squashing that idea.  
I bit my lip.  
''What do you think of Sasori Cole?''  
I felt a kick and smirked.  
''I like that too. I guess we just have to convince your daddy when he gets home, huh?''  
There was another kick and I giggled, pushing myself off the bed with a groan. I was hungry and Temari should have something eatable to eat fixed by now.  
I made my way carefully down the stairs, which was harder then it should have been since I couldn't see my feet or where they were going.  
I finally got down the stairs and breathed a sigh of relief and made my way to the kitchen, pausing outside the door when I heard the voices coming from inside.  
''She looks like she's about to pop, Temari. She can't carry that baby for much longer.''  
That was Kankuro's voice and Temari answered, her own voice irritated and harsh.  
''The baby will come when it's ready. It's not good to force these things. And she still has another month until her due date. And you know that Ria's not to happy about that either. She's almost as impatient as you are about getting this baby here.''  
I laughed dryly and walked into the kitchen, causing both of their eyes to turn towards me.  
''You're right. I'm sick of being huge.''  
Temari and Kankuro laughed and I eased myself down into a chair, Butterball who had been lounging next to Temari ambling over to lay at my feet.  
I rubbed my back and shook my head.  
''This sucks. I almost don't ever want to go through this again.''  
Temari nodded in sympathy and Kankuro chuckled, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back.  
''I'm just lucky that I won't have to.''  
I raised an eyebrow before grinning evilly.  
''Not yourself. But Misa will. And she'll be FAR worse then I am I'm sure.''  
Kankuro's face went an ashy white and he sat forward in his chair.  
''How can ANYONE be worse then you? Your mood swings have been...I mean...''  
He was swallowing hard, his eyes darting around the room, suddenly realizing what he had said to me and I smiled harshly.  
''Careful dear. I can blame any injuries I inflict on you on mood swings and I have a good twenty extra pounds of weight on my side.''  
Temari laughed and Kankuro made an excuse about having something to do in his room and retreated from the kitchen as fast as possible.  
I laughed, watching him run away and turned back to Temari who was walking towards the stove.  
''Are you hungry, Ria?''  
I nodded and sighed.  
''Aren't I always?''  
She smiled and began to pull ingrediants out for dinner. She had improved a lot on her cooking since I had married Gaara. I hadn't found any egg shells in the muffins in months. Which was progress.  
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to ignore the grumbling of my belly and oofed when Butterball took a flying leap onto my lap, hitting my stomach and sliding to the floor in a heap of black and white fur.  
I laughed and bent awkwardly to pick up the panda, placing him on the table and scratching behind his ears.  
''I'm sorry, Butterball. But you won't be able to do that for at least another month.''  
He seemed to grumble and I chuckled as Temari brought me a piece of cake and a glass of milk.  
''Here. I know how nauseous you get if you don't eat when you're hungry, so snack on this while I finish dinner.''  
I nodded and dug into the cake, Butterball falling asleep on the table.  
I practically inhaled my cake and Temari took my dirty dishes to the sink before kneeling in front of me and placing her hand on my belly.  
''Hello, there baby. When are you going to come to see me?''  
I smiled before wincing as the baby kicked at where her hand rested, causing Temari to gasp.  
''He kicked me!''  
I nodded.  
''He's been really active today. I think that he's getting restless.''  
Temari nodded and turned her attention back to my stomach.  
''Well hurry up and come out! I want to see you.''  
I laughed before looking behind me as a voice caught my attention.  
''Are you pestering my wife again Temari?''  
I smiled at Gaara who walked forward and Temari shook her head before standing.  
''Of course. I need my niece or nephew to know my voice.''  
Gaara shook his head and leaned down to kiss me lightly, his hand on my stomach. When he pulled away I noticed that Temari had left to give us some privacy and I smiled at Gaara.  
''Hi, hon. How was work?''  
He shrugged and pulled me to my feet, hugging me.  
''It was boring. How are you feeling?'  
I shrugged.  
''About the same as when you left this morning. Ready to have this baby.''  
He nodded and stepped back, placing his hands on stomach.  
''You need to come out soon. Your mommy is tired of...''  
I laughed.  
''Of being fat and hungry all of the time.''  
Gaara smiled and shook his head.  
''You are not fat, Love. You're pregnant.''  
I shrugged.  
''Same difference. I still cant see my feet.''  
Gaara rolled his eyes and pulled me to him, causing me to frown.  
''I miss you being able to hold me tightly. My stomach keeps getting in the way.''  
He sighed and winced as the baby gave a hard kick, Gaara feeling it as well.  
''We'll be able to do that soon. Though for the moment I want you to know that you're beautiful, Ria. And I love you.''  
I sighed and shook my head.  
''Yeah, you better think that. This is partly your fault too.''  
He smirked and kissed me deeply, speaking when he pulled back.  
''Yes, Love. I know.''  
I sighed and Gaara released me to grab Butterball from the table before grabbing my hand.  
''Let's go upstairs, Love. I know that you're tired and you can sleep a bit before dinner.''  
I nodded and let him lead me up the stairs, hoping that the baby would come soon.

**Almost finished. **

**:(**

**Only a few more chapters left and this story will end. **

**Thank you for reading and review if you want. Ignore any mistakes that I've made.**

**I do not own Naruto or it's characters.**


	83. Chapter 83

I screamed and gripped Gaara's hand as another contraction ripped through me.  
I was surrounded by nurses and my doctor, urging me to push. I groaned and fell back against the pillows, Gaara running his fingers through my sweat matted hair.  
I tried to smile at him, but it came out as a groan as another contraction began. I gasped and gripped his hand hard.  
It had been fifteen hours of labor already and I was sick of it.  
I heard one of the nurses gasp and shot a glare at her when she spoke.  
''The baby is breech!''  
I groaned and the Doctor quickly hushed her, Gaara's hand tightened around mine. His voice was harsh and panicked when he spoke.  
''What the hell does that mean?''  
I squeezed his hand and gasped out some comfort.  
''It's fine, Gaara. Calm down.''  
I groaned and pushed hard, the doctor encouraging me.  
I screamed again before falling back against the pillows a feeling of relief washing over me as the nurses rushed around.  
I heard something about the chord being wrapped around the babies neck and I briefly wondered why there wasn't any crying, but my focus blacked out for a moment.  
Gaara was calling my name gently and I blinked hard, my eyes focusing and Gaara sighed in relief, kissing my forehead gently.  
I frowned when I realized that I still didn't hear any crying and turned towards the doctor.  
''Is everything alright?''  
She smiled and I relaxed, Gaara crawling onto the bed beside me, his arms wrapping around me. He was a little shaken up and his voice betrayed him when he spoke.  
''Is it always that awful?''  
I smiled and the doctor chuckled.  
''Sometimes worse. Though because the baby was breached and facing up it caused your wife more pain then it normally would have. Also the chord was wrapped around your sons neck, but we got it off before it could do any damage.''  
I nodded and smiled.  
''We have a son Gaara.''  
He nodded and I held my arms out as the nurse brought the baby to me. I cuddled the baby close smiling as I looked at him.  
''He has your hair Gaara.''  
He nodded and leaned against me.  
''And your nose, Love.''  
I grinned and the baby nuzzled into me, his face scrunching up in a frown. I turned to the doctor, my expression worried.  
''Is he supposed to be crying?''  
She shook her head.  
''He's alright. It is strange that he's not wailing, but we got all of the fluid and gunk out of his throat. He's just a quiet child.''  
I nodded and turned back to Gaara who was looking at the baby, his eyes wide in amazement. I smiled and nudged him lightly, causing his eyes to shoot to mine.  
''Would you like to hold your son, Gaara?''  
He bit his lip and nodded slowly, turning towards me. I placed the baby in his arms, nudging his left arm up so that it elevated our son's head. Once Gaara was settled, I rested against him and watched as our child let out a small whimper and began to nuzzle against Gaara's chest.  
I laughed weekly and Gaara smiled.  
''I think that the name Sasori Cole fits him pretty well, Love.''  
I yawned and nodded, running a finger over the baby's nose.  
''Yeah. Much better than Lee anyways.''  
Gaara smiled and laid a kiss to the top of my head as our child settled down into sleep. I smiled sleepily and Gaara scooted closer to me, situating our child onto one of his arms, while he wrapped the other around my shoulders, letting me cuddle into his side.  
''I love you, Ria.''  
I hummed happily and smiled at him.  
''I love you too Gaara. Very much.''  
He smiled and I closed my eyes, falling into an exhausted sleep.

We were able to take little Sori home the next day. The doctor giving me stern instructions to rest as much as possible. Though she really didn't have to be so worried. Gaara was already hovering, his arm around my waist, practically lifting me from the ground so I wouldn't have to walk.  
Temari had shown up an hour after the baby had been born and had hardly left the hospital. She now clutched the baby to her chest, cooing at him softly while Gaara transported us home.  
As soon as the sand faded away I found that we were in the nursery and that Butterball was sleeping by the crib.  
I laughed and the panda lifted his head before ambling over to us, sitting on my feet when he reached us.  
I took Sori from Temari and knelt down carefully, introducing our newest addition to the panda.  
Butterball sniffed at the baby before nudging the baby's cheek with his nose gently.  
I smiled and stood, taking the sleeping child to his bassinet. Butterball followed me and when I stepped away from Sori, the panda plopped himself down next to the cloth covered bed and stared up at it, intently listening to any sounds that came from inside.  
I laughed and moved to stand by Gaara, who wrapped his arms around me.  
''I think that Butterball has become Sori's official guard panda.''  
Gaara nodded and Temari laughed.  
''Good. I was hoping that he wouldn't be jealous. I'm going to go get Kankuro so he can see the baby.''  
I nodded and watched her rush from the room, leaning further into Gaara's hold, my body tired. He looked down at me before lifting me up and taking me to sit in the rocking chair that Weasel had sent when he received the news that I was pregnant.  
Gaara knelt in front of me, grasping my hands and laying a kiss to the knuckles.  
''Don't push yourself, Love. You need to sleep when the baby is sleeping.''  
I nodded.  
''I know. But I wanted to see how Butterball would react to him.''  
Gaara nodded and looked over his shoulder at the panda, a smirk pulling at his lips.  
''I think that he's taking everything fine.''  
I nodded and winced when Kankuro busted into the room, his voice loud when he spoke.  
''Where's my little nephew?''  
I heard a whimper come from the bed and Gaara sent his brother a glare while Temari hit him across the head, causing Kankuro to fall to the floor.  
He jumped up and Temari glared.  
''Be quiet Kankuro. If you wake the baby up you'll have to put him back to sleep.''  
I nodded, in full agreement and Kankuro flinched before moving towards the bassinet, quieting suddenly.  
He looked down into the bed and smiled softly, shooting a grin over his shoulder to Gaara, who had moved to sit facing his brother his cheek resting against my thigh.  
''He's cute. Though, excluding the red hair, he looks more like Ria. What color eyes does he have?''  
I smiled and shook my head.  
''He hasn't opened them beyond a squint yet. Though with how young he is, it'll be some type of blue.''  
Kankuro nodded and turned back to the baby, a dreamy look entering his eyes.  
I looked at Temari, who rolled her eyes and tapped her brothers shoulder.  
''C'mon, Kankuro. Let's give Ria and Gaara some time alone before the baby wakes up and demands all of their attention.''  
Kankuro nodded and followed his sister from the room.  
I sighed when they closed the door behind them and began to run my fingers through Gaara's hair causing him to hum softly. Soon though I felt my eyes drifting shut, the excitement of the day catching up with me and Gaara's voice lulling me to sleep.

**thanks for reading. **

**I don't own Naruto or it's characters.**

**:)**


	84. Chapter 84

**...Last chapter lovelies. **

**Thank you so much for staying with me and reading all of these chapters and for all of the favorites and reviews.**

**I do not own Naruto or the characters, I have simply borrowed them for this story and have enjoyed using them in my writing.**

**Enjoy the last chapter of Akatsuki's daughter.**

**:)**

I stared down at my one month old son, feeling like the time had passed far to quickly and smiled when a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, a face nuzzling into my neck.  
''I thought that you would be in here.''  
I nodded, smiling sheepishly.  
''I just didn't want to wake him up yet.''  
Gaara nodded and laid a kiss to the visible mark on my neck.  
''But if you don't he'll keep you up all night again.''  
I sighed and nodded, reaching towards the baby and lifting him from his bed.  
His eyelids fluttered opened, revealing two different colored eyes. One the same aqua blue as Gaara's and the other a vibrant green.  
He cooed softly and I smiled, cuddling him to me.  
''I'm glad that you wake up in a good mood like your daddy and not like me.''  
Gaara smiled against my skin and nodded, one of his hands moving from my waist and coming up to brush his fingers against the baby's cheek.  
''Have you given your mama any trouble today?''  
Sori frowned and blinked at Gaara's voice before nuzzling into my chest, whining lightly.  
I sighed and went to sit in the rocking chair, Gaara sitting at my feet, watching me as I fed our child.  
''Has he been any trouble today?''  
I shrugged.  
''Just the usual. He always seems to be hungry at the worst times.''  
Gaara smirked and shook his head.  
''Takes after his mother. I'm sure his stomach rumbles loudly too.''  
I scoffed playfully and Gaara grinned, rubbing his hand across my knee as I continued to feed the baby.  
I felt a nudge at my foot and glanced down to see Butterball sitting beside me, realizing that Sori wasn't in his bassinet anymore.  
I chuckled and shook my head, grinning at Gaara.  
''Our panda hasn't let Sori out of his sight all day today. Even when I took him downstairs so I could make me some lunch.''  
Gaara smirked and scratched behind the bears ears.  
''He's just worried that you'll run off with Sori and he won't be able to follow.''  
I shook my head and Gaara stood to take the now full Sori from me. I smiled as I looked at the two of them.  
''He's deffinitly your son, Gaara.''  
Gaara gave me a weird look over his shoulder as he placed Sori in the bassinet, Butterball following him to sit at the side.  
''Of course he's my son. Who's else would he be?''  
I shook my head and smiled.  
''I was just saying that he takes after you in the looks department.''  
Gaara smirked and walked towards me, an impish look on his face. He placed his hands on the arms of the chairs and leaned down to my eye level.  
''The next child we have can look like you.''  
I groaned and rolled my eyes.  
''We just had Sori, can we wait a few years until we start talking about having another one.''  
Gaara grinned and leaned closer to kiss me deeply. I sighed and wrapped my arms around his neck, tangling my hands in his hair.  
Gaara pulled away quickly and I pouted at him. He smirked and I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.  
''Oh. Were you not finished kissing me?''  
I pouted and stuck my tongue out at him.  
''Bite me, Gaara.''  
His eyes darkened slightly and mine widened as I realized what I had just said and he leaned forward, his mouth latching around the skin of my neck and bit down slightly.  
I felt him lick at the sore mark soothingly before pulling away with a smile.  
''I told you to watch what you say.''  
I frowned at him and he kissed me quickly, pulling me to my feet.  
''Let's go to bed, Love. You're tired and I want you to myself for as long as possible.''  
I rolled my eyes and nodded, letting him pull me from the room and into ours, leaving our son to sleep.

Epilogue

I sighed as I picked up another toy from the living room floor, listening to my youngest child yelling from the kitchen.  
Gaara and I had had three children and I had made it clear that I was FINISHED. Of course I had said that after the second child as well, but Gaara could be pretty convincing when it was something that he REALLY wanted.  
I smiled as Alana, my youngest child ran into the living room, throwing herself at my legs and pouted up at me, her green eyes pleading.  
''Mommy! Daddy says that Butterball can't go with Sori and me to the park today. Why?''  
I shrugged and looked towards the door where Gaara stood, holding the panda.  
''I don't know sweetheart. You have to ask him.''  
Gaara sighed and placed the panda on the floor, who instantly ambled over to Alana and nudged against her hand.  
''Butterball is tired and lazy Ally. It's hot outside and I'm sure that he would rather stay home then chase after you and your brother. You two wear him out and I always have to carry him AND you home.''  
She frowned and put her hands on her hips.  
''So?''  
I bit my lip to hide my smirk.  
''Listen to your daddy, sweetheart.''  
She pouted but that instantly changed when the door opened and her brother came into the house, dropping his backpack on the floor. She grinned and jumped into his arms, causing Sori to grunt and catch her, his arms barely able to wrap around her. He was only seven after all.  
My middle child pushed past him, instantly rushing towards Gaara, who picked her up and hugged her tightly.  
I pouted.  
''Nine months of carrying her and twelve hours of labor and she runs off and takes up with her FATHER.''  
Gaara smiled at me, before putting her down, tapping her nose lightly.  
''Nina, go say hello to your mother.''  
She grinned and bounded towards me, throwing herself into my arms, her pale blond hair flying behind her.  
''Hi, Momma!''  
I laughed and rubbed her back.  
''Hi, dear. Did you have a good time at aunt Misa's and Uncle Kankuro's?''  
She nodded quickly.  
''Yeah. Until Tori had to take a nap because she was getting cranky and aunt Misa was busy taking care of Brice.''  
I nodded and gave her back to Gaara who went to sit on the couch, Nina instantly settling herself on his lap.  
I turned to look at my oldest, who had finally pried Ally's arms from around his neck and was standing off to the side.  
I smiled and crooked a finger at him. He came towards me slowly and I pulled him into a tight hug. He sighed and hugged me back.  
I kissed the top of his head and pulled back slightly to look at him.  
''How was the ninja academy?''  
He shrugged.  
''Okay, I guess. It's school.''  
I rolled my eyes.  
''Whatever. I know that you like seeing your friends everyday and learning the different jutsus.''  
He smirked, reminding me too much of his father. I quickly laid a kiss to his forehead, causing him to grimace in disgust.  
''Aw, mom!''  
He rubbed at his forehead while I laughed and I nudged him towards the kitchen.  
''There's pie in the kitchen if you want a snack before dinner.''  
He shot me a grin before running into the kitchen, Ally hurrying after him, her short legs running as fast as possible.  
I shook my head. Between the two of them, they could finish a whole pie. Gaara put Nina on the floor and she followed her siblings into the kitchen.  
Gaara stood and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to him. He kissed me deeply for a moment, before a crash from the kitchen caused him to pull away turning a glare towards the noise.  
He sighed and ran his thumb over my cheek.  
''Sit and relax, Love. I'll take care of the kids until dinner.''  
I nodded and kissed him quickly, smiling as he walked towards the kitchen. He just wanted some pie before our children ate all of it.  
I stretched and moved to sit on the couch, thinking about all that had happened since Sori was born.  
Temari had married Shikamaru and moved to the Leaf village about six moths after we brought Sori home. Temari had proposed to him, if you could call her telling him that she wanted a baby, proposing. Shikamaru had simply shrugged and nodded.  
Their wedding had been HUGE. Temari had rushed through the wedding plans, and everything was STILL perfect.  
They waited about a year before they had a baby, a little girl they called Mina. She was almost six now.  
Kankuro and Misa had waited two years before they got married, and another year before they had a child.  
Their first born was a girl, Cori, who was a year younger then Nina. Their youngest child, Brice had come as a surprise, only a year or so after Cori. He was the same age as Ally, going on three in a month or so.  
Misa had moved to Suna with Kankuro, though he had bought a large house closer to the wall, wanting to make his own way rather than staying in his childhood home.  
Mona had moved to Kanoha six weeks after my wedding and a year later had a little girl they named Toki.  
Weasel had moved his family back to Kanoha so that Sasuke could get to know his nieces and nephew. Lady Tsunada had dropped all charges against him and between Sasuke and himself, they were trying to revive the Uchiha clan. And apparently doing a good job of it.  
Sasuke and Sakura had Tsukune and Lilo. Both having the typical black hair, though Lilo had inherited her mothers green eyes. A strange thing in a child with Uchiha blood.  
Naruto and Hinata, after a LONG engagement had been married a year before Ally was born. They had a little boy named Rhys.  
Dolly, Die and Niko had stayed in Suna, my children calling my adopted fathers, Pappy Dolly and Poppy Die. They came to visit almost every week, Niko enjoying being the oldest child for once, and being able to help Sori with his ninja assingments.  
Salem and Toru got married a few months after Kankuro and Misa. They had a little girl less then a year after being married, named Kally.  
I yawned and stretched, freezing when a loud crash came from the kitchen followed by Sori's voice.  
''Mom! Nina is throwing pie at me!''  
I sighed and rolled my eyes, making my way into the kitchen and finding the counter and my son covered in cherry filling.  
Gaara was shooting a glare at the boy, irritated about him calling me into the kitchen and I shot a look at Nina, who instantly lowered her head, trying to wipe the sticky, red filling from her hands.  
Gaara finally sighed.  
''I told him that I had it handled.''  
Sori shot him a glare and motioned to his stained clothes.  
''Yeah. That's why I have pie on my clothes.''  
I laughed and moved to pull on one of Nina's pigtails.  
''Don't throw food at your brother. It causes more laundry for me.''  
She pouted, but nodded.  
I locked eyes with Gaara and smiled slightly, seeing his eyes light up. We watched our children finish their snack and I knew that I would need to start dinner soon. For some reason all of our children had gained my appetite.  
I shook my head and after sharing another look with Gaara moved to find us something to eat, listening as my family talked about their day, feeling content and happy with my role in life.

**End**


End file.
